Although Zemlinsky began in a late-Romantic vein, developing to a rich,
post-Mahlerian expanded tonality, in the later 1920s and 1930s he adopted
aspects of the dissonant neoclassical ‘Neue Sachlichkeit’ style. Despite his
closeness to the Schoenberg circle he never adopted the 12-note method; indeed
he and Schoenberg disagreed profoundly about it, though each continued to
admire the other as a great artist.

Zemlinsky was above all a man of the theatre, and his most important music is
to be found in his operas. He also wrote some significant orchestral works,
some fine chamber music and many excellent songs.

Operas

• Sarema (1893-5, produced Munich 1897)
• Es war einmal (1897-9, produced Vienna 1900: it is sometimes said an orchestral interlude in this work was composed by Mahler, who conducted the premiere, but it was written by Z. at Mahler’s request)
• Der Traumgörge (1904-6, scheduled to be premiered in Vienna by Mahler; after Mahler’s resignation Felix Weingartner reneged on the commitment; finally premiered in truncated form, Nuremberg, 1980)
• "Kleider machen Leute" (First version: 1907-1909, produced at the Vienna "Volksoper" 1910; second version: 1921-22, produced Prague 1922)
• Eine Florentinische Tragödie (1915-16, produced Stuttgart 1917)
• Der Zwerg (1919-1921, produced Cologne 1922)
• Der Kreidekreis (1930-32, produced Zurich 1933)
• Der König Kandaules (1935-6, orchestration left incomplete, completed by Antony Beaumont 1992-5)

Main orchestral works

• Symphony in D minor (1892: usually called No.1 but actually No.2 - an earlier Symphony in E minor survives incomplete)
• Symphony in B flat (1897: usually called No.2 but actually No.3)
• Die Seejungfrau, symphonic poem after Hans Christian Andersen (1902-3)
• Lyrische Symphonie on poems of Tagore (1922-3: actually Symphony No.4)
• Sinfonietta (1934)

Main chamber works

• Clarinet Trio (1896)
• String Quartet No.1 in A (1896)
• String Quartet No.2 (1913-15)
• String Quartet No.3 (1924)
• String Quartet No.4 (Suite) (1936)

Principal choral and vocal works

• Fr&uunl;hlingsbegräbnis, cantata (composed 1896 in memory of Brahms, orchestrated 1897, revised an re-orchestrated 1903)
• Psalm 83 for chorus and orchestra (1900)
• Psalm 23 for chorus and orchestra (1910)
• 6 Maeterlinck Gesange for voice and orchestra (1910-13)
• Symphonische Gesange for voice and orchestra on Black American lyrics (1929)
• Psalm 13 for chorus and orchestra (1935)

(Contribution by Malcolm MacDonald <macval@compuserve.com>)

Songs by Zemlinsky (Hermine Haselböck, mezzosoprano; Florian Henschel, piano) have been released at Pan Classics.
MP3 samples and the comnplete list of the Lieder you can listen on the website http"//www.hermine-haselboeck.com.