Die Seejungfrau

The Mermaid - Alexander Zemlinsky - Johannes Brahms: Double Concerto op. 102

José Maria Blumenschein, violin
Martin Leo Schmidt, violoncello
Academic Orchestra of the University of Stuttgart
Conductor: UMD Jakob Brenner

"I wanted to write real fairy-tale music for once." With these words, Alexander Zemlinsky described his large-scale orchestral work "The Mermaid". Inspired by the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, Zemlinsky unfolds a colorful musical narrative full of longing, mystery and dazzling soundscapes.
Between romantic opulence and motivic processing, a fascinating sound painting emerges that traces the tragic story of the little mermaid with great emotional intensity.
After its premiere in 1905, the work disappeared from concert programs for several decades and was only rediscovered towards the end of the 20th century. Today, "The Mermaid" is considered a key work by Zemlinsky and an impressive example of the expressive diversity of this era.

The concert opens with the Double Concerto for Violin and Cello by Johannes Brahms. In this late work by the composer, violin and cello meet as dialog partners: sometimes intimately connected, then in virtuoso competition. What Brahms intended in 1887 as a concerto for reconciliation with his long-time friend Joseph Joachim is today one of the most outstanding works in this genre. In José Maria Blumenschein, concertmaster of the WDR Symphony Orchestra, and Martin Leo Schmidt, deputy principal cellist of the same orchestra, the university orchestra has secured two outstanding soloists.