These three early cello works by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky are perfectly acceptable examples of conservative German late-Romanticism. The lightest work of the three is the earliest, the Three Pieces for cello and piano from 1891 with its three movements cast in the intimate style of the mature Schumann. The Sonata in A minor from 1894 is a much more strenuous work written in the stormy style of the young Brahms. Perhaps the best of the three is the Trio in D minor from 1896, which adds a clarinet to the cello ...
Read More
These three early cello works by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky are perfectly acceptable examples of conservative German late-Romanticism. The lightest work of the three is the earliest, the Three Pieces for cello and piano from 1891 with its three movements cast in the intimate style of the mature Schumann. The Sonata in A minor from 1894 is a much more strenuous work written in the stormy style of the young Brahms. Perhaps the best of the three is the Trio in D minor from 1896, which adds a clarinet to the cello and piano. With its passionate tone and heavy textures, Zemlinsky's Trio is close enough in manner and matter to Brahms' Trio for the same instrumental combination from five years earlier to share the work's heightened expressivity.Though none of these works are particularly characteristic of the mature Zemlinsky, these Austrian performances make a strong case for them. Cellist Othmar Müller has a rich tone and a strong technique, and he knows how to phrase Zemlinsky's big tunes for...
Read Less