Ian Foster wrote:

>Roger Hecht recommends a recording of Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau with
>Dansgaard.  Could anyone enlighten me about this recording? I don't
>currently have access to the World Wide Web, only e-mail, so a catalogue
>number would be helpful.
>
>Could I also ask Roger why he has pushed this version so strongly.  I was
>thinking of getting the Chailly recording on Decca (London in the USA),
>which has been strongly recommended here in the UK (for example, in the
>Penguin Guide).  What are the couplings if any with the Dansgaard?

Sure.  I reviewed this recording for American Record Guide (Nov-Dec 1998).
I had never heard anything with Dausgaard before and no had idea what
to expect.  Before that, my acquaintance with the work consisted of a
live performance by the Cleveland Orchestra several years ago and the
above-mentioned Chailly.  I always liked the work, but I simply fell in
love with it from the Dausgaard performance.  I like Chailly's Zemlinsky
very much, but as far as I know, Seejungfrau was his first Zemlinsky
recording:  for me, he got much better in this repertoire later on.  I hear
his Seejungfrau as a little pallid and too laid back.  The sound is that
way too.  The Dausgaard is opulent and rich and just sings, with sound to
match.  He just seems to get everything right in this work.  Everything
works.  For what it's worth, I just played this recording a few weeks ago,
and my affection for it did not waver.  Whether you feel about these
recordings as I do, I can't say.  I can tell you only how I reacted and
hope you enjoy whichever you by.

The catalog information:

Chandos 9601

with Sinfonietta and Overture to Serema

The Sinfonietta is a later, more acerbic work.  Dausgaard does well with
it, but his manner with it is predictably romantic, and I prefer the more
biting reading by Klee and even Conlon for this style.  (You may not.)
Conlon is also coupled with Seejungfrau, but I find his performance of
that work far less appealing than Dausgaard.  Since I like Seejungfrau
more than Sinfonietta (I hate to make choices like that, but I really love
Seejungrau), I would go for Dausgaard.  Frankly, I am glad that I have the
Sinfoniettas of Klee and Dausgaard.

The Overture to Serema is from a stirring early opera, Zemlinsky's first,
I believe.  I like the opera and overture very much.  The overture is more
stirring in the Russian style (with a touch of Schumann), and Dausgaard's
reading is excellent.  The only other recording of the overture I know is
from the complete opera CDs.

Roger Hecht