Mermaid - Sinfonietta Op. 23

 The Helsinki Philharmonic, under it's chief conductorJohn Storgards, offers a fascinating program of two majororchestral works by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942) inworld premiere recordings. 1902's Die Seejungfrau (Mermaid) is a lush, powerful3-movement symphonic "fantasy". Before the work's premiere in 1905 Zemlinsky had alreadymade radical cuts to it, later withdrawing the score andnever mentioning the work in his catalogue; it was notheard again until 1984. This release is the first recording of a new (2013) criticalversion based on the original score. Written and premiered in Prague in 1935, The Sinfonietta,op. 34 is a fascinating example of Zemlinsky's late orchestralwriting and stylistic evolution. This recording is of a new (2013) version for chamberorchestra by Austrian composer Roland Freisitzer (b. 1973)