Zemlinsky

Antony Beaumont has written a penetrating study of the composer and conductor Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942). 'Zemlinsky - all hail to you!', wrote the young Alma Mahler-Werfel, 'All hail to you and your art.' When she first met him, Zemlinsky was regarded as the most promising Viennese composer of his generation. Only long after his death, however, did his music begin to receive the attention it deserves. Founded on years of research in Europe and the USA, this is the first full-length biography of a key figure in the history of twentieth-century music. Apart from analyses of every major work - almost all of which are now available on CD - the author gives a detailed account of the composer's early years as a protege of Brahms and Mahler, of his complex friendship with Schoenberg, his kindly and helpful attitude towards the hypersensitive Webern and his heartfelt friendship with Berg. He also outlines Zemlinsky's career as a conductor, whom both Schoenberg and Stravinsky considered the finest they ever heard.