Alexander Zemlinsky, born in Vienna, studied piano and composition at the Vienna Conservatory, graduating with distinction in both disciplines.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Zemlinsky's music often integrates music and drama, with his instrumental compositions frequently interpretable as wordless, autobiographical dramas.
Compositional Technique
The Second String Quartet, Op. 15, contains Zemlinsky's musical monogram, D-E-G (a transposable cipher from the number series 2-3-5), and a four-note extension, D-E-G-A, representing Mathilde.
Composition History
Zemlinsky's String Quartet in E minor, composed around 1893, was rejected by the Tonkünstlerverein, an influential Viennese musical organization, and was not published until 1997.
Compositional Technique
Zemlinsky's Second String Quartet, Op. 15, uses a misleading key signature of F sharp minor, which symbolically represents 'Golgotha' (the German word 'Kreuz' means both 'sharp' and 'cross').
Recording & Production
This album includes the premiere recording of Zemlinsky's String Quartet in E minor, composed around 1893.
Composer Biography
Arnold Schoenberg, a renowned composer, was a cellist in Polyhymnia, a group conducted by Zemlinsky, and they developed a close friendship and teacher-pupil relationship.
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