Symphony in B flat major; Sinfonietta, Op. 23 ; etc

'The Czech Philharmonic is the perfect orchestra for such an approach, and it plays with cleanly honed elan. Good as the James Conlon's reading is, it is Beaumont who convinces me that Zemlinsky's Symphony is a major work.'
- American Record Guide

'The unique sound of the Czech Philharmonic proves ideal for this music... the Czech recording teamcaptures its performances with all the richness the Prague Rudolfinium has to offer.'
- BBC Music Magazine

This is the third volume in Antony Beaumont's acclaimed Zemlinsky survey.

Antony Beaumont is a world authority on the composer. His previous interpretations of Zemlinsky's works were universally admired for their authenticity and sheer musicality. Gramophone noted: 'No one has studied these scores with more sympathy than Antony Beaumont…'

This is the only available recording of the original version of the Prelude to Zemlinsky's opera Es war einmal….

The disc features an illuminating programme of contrasts. Where the Symphony in B flat major surges with energy, brilliance and youthful selfassurance, the Sinfonietta, composed nearly four decades later, glows in mellow colours, with undertones of joy and anxiety, pride and sorrow, hope and self-doubt. Though almost identical in their structures, the two operatic preludes inhabit similarly contrasting worlds of light and shade.