Alexander Zemlinsky (1871–1942) and Erich Korngold (1897–1957) led similar lives. Both were Austrian-born and Jewish, and both were active as opera composers in Vienna in the first decades of the 20th century. The rise of the Nazis forced both composers to move to the United States, where Korngold fared much better than Zemlinsky. Korngold excelled in Hollywood, and many of his later scores, including the Violin Concerto (1945), derive from his film music. Zemlinsky, however, died in obscurity a few years after emigrating. His music had to wait until the 1980s for a significant revival, when his tone poem Die Seejungfrau (1902–3) was reassembled from manuscripts on both sides of the Atlantic. These two recent recordings, including the live recording of Die Seejungfrau at Amsterdam’s famous Het Concertgebouw and featuring the Netherlands Philharmonic pair perfectly to show the artistry of these two persecuted composers.
“As an example of luscious late-Romantic orchestral writing, Die Seejungfrau could scarcely be bettered: a fine performance of a gorgeous orchestral score.”MusicWeb International
“[Arabella] Steinbacher’s technique… is immaculate; how gracefully those swirls and leaps are articulated. Foster’s support is always vivid and colourfull” MusicWeb International
“Steinbacher’s expressive cantabile alternates with enthusiastic verve in the virtuoso passages.” Gramophone
