Die Seejungfrau

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Zemlinsky c. 1900

Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid) is a fantasy for large orchestra in three movements by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky, based on the folk-tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.

Background[edit]

In April 1901, Zemlinsky began a romantic liaison with his pupil Alma Schindler. However, Alma broke off the relationship in November after meeting Gustav Mahler whom she subsequently married in March 1902.[1] Die Seejungfrau was, in part, an expression of the heartbreak and sense of rejection that Zemlinsky felt as a result.[1] The work was begun in February 1902 with the orchestration completed in March 1903.[2]

The work was first performed on 25 January 1905 at the Musikverein in Vienna with the Wiener Konzertverein Orchester conducted by the composer in a concert that also included the premiere of Arnold Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande.[2] The critical response was largely favourable.[2] Further performances followed in Berlin in December 1906, conducted by Walter Meyrowitz, and in Prague in November 1907, conducted by Artur Bodanzky.[2]

Withdrawal and rediscovery[edit]

Some time after the Prague performance, Zemlinsky withdrew the work. Later, he gave the score of the first movement to his friend, Marie Pappenheim, as a gift.[2] The second and third movements he took with him to New York after fleeing Austria in 1938.[3] These were eventually deposited, along with the rest of Zemlinsky's manuscripts, with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[2]

For many years after the composer's death, the score of Die Seejungfrau was presumed lost or destroyed.[2] The second and third movements were assumed by Zemlinsky's widow Louise to be the surviving fragments of a symphony in E-flat major.[3] In the early 1980s, two British Ph.D students, Keith J. Rooke and Alfred Clayton, working separately, compared the items in Vienna and Washington and established that they belonged together.[2] The first modern performance of the work was given by the Austrian Youth Orchestra conducted by Peter Gülke in 1984.[2] Since then, the work has become one of Zemlinsky's most frequently performed and several recordings have appeared. A critical edition of the score, edited by Zemlinsky scholar Antony Beaumont, was published by Universal Edition in 2013.[2] This includes a passage of 88 bars in the second movement, depicting the Mermaid's visit to the Mer-witch, which Zemlinsky expunged from the score before the première.[2]

Instrumentation[edit]

Structure[edit]

The work consists of three movements:

  1. Sehr mäßig bewegt
  2. Sehr bewegt, rauschend
  3. Sehr gedehnt, mit schmerzvollem Ausdruck

The total playing time is around 47 minutes for the critical edition.

Recordings[edit]

Based on the critical edition (2013)[edit]

Year Conductor Orchestra Label I. II. III. Total Ref
2015 John Storgårds Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Ondine 15:48 17:16 14:41 47:45 [4]
2016 Emmanuel Krivine Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra Alpha 15:26 17:38 13:04 46:06 [5]
2020 Marc Albrecht Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Pentatone 15:56 17:06 14:26 47:28 [6]

Older recordings[edit]

Year Conductor Orchestra Label I. II. III. Total Ref
1986 Riccardo Chailly Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Decca 15:19 12:17 12:30 40:06 [7]
1997 Thomas Dausgaard Danish National Symphony Orchestra Chandos 15:37 13:42 13:33 43:02 [8]
2003 Antony Beaumont Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Chandos 14:26 11:56 12:36 38:58 [9]
2005 Thomas Dausgaard Danish National Symphony Orchestra Dacapo 14:26 12:32 13:08 40:06 [10]
2006 James Judd New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Naxos 15:30 11:54 13:27 40:49 [11]
2010 Leon Botstein American Symphony Orchestra ASO 16:48 13:43 16:30 47:01 [12]
2010 Cornelius Meister ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien CPO 17:05 13:36 14:35 45:16 [13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Beaumont, Antony (2000). Zemlinsky. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571169832.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Antony Beaumont: Foreword to published score (UE 35541)
  3. ^ a b Andrew Huth: booklet notes for Decca CD in "Entartete Musik" series, 1996
  4. ^ "Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid) & Sinfonietta". Ondine. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  5. ^ "Emmanuel Krivine conducts R. Strauss & Zemlinsky". Outhere. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  6. ^ "Zemlinsky - Die Seejungfrau". Pentatone. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  7. ^ "Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau/Psalms". Decca. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  8. ^ "Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau · Sinfonietta". Chandos Records. Archived from the original on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  9. ^ "Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau & Symphony No. 1". Chandos.
  10. ^ "Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau & Enna: The Little Match Girl". Dacapo Records. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  11. ^ "Zemlinsky - The Mermaid". Naxos. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  12. ^ "Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid)". American Symphony Orchestra. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  13. ^ "Alexander von Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau (Fantasie nach Andersen)". jpc. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
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