London Philharmonic Orchestra: The Mermaid

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3
Zemlinsky Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid)

Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Marc-André Hamelin piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra


In 1901, at the height of her affair with Alexander von Zemlinsky, ‘It Girl’ Alma Schindler unceremoniously dumped her lover to marry the big shot of Viennese composition, Gustav Mahler. Zemlinsky was devastated. Still cherishing a framed photo of Alma, he began work on his orchestral tone poem Die Seejungfrau. But while the score’s depiction of the Little Mermaid’s hopeless dedication to an imaginary young boy clearly resonated with Zemlinsky, his work was no self-pitying tirade. It was, in fact, his coming of age – his discovery of a true musical voice. Zemlinsky had glimpsed the triumph and joy of love, and thrust it all into this magical, kaleidoscopic score.

This performance is being broadcast live by BBC Radio3 and will be available online in the UK for 30 days via iPlayer.