Zemlinsky

Josefstädter Strasse 26

1080 Wien

 

I wouldn't even want to be buried here.

As a composer, he was a pioneer, an open-minded person who combined styles, virtually embodying the artistic spirit of optimism at the turn of the century. The musical greats of his time found inspiration in his music – but the public recognition he struggled for his entire life was denied to Alexander Zemlinsky. Instead of fame and prestige, he ended up being expelled from Vienna to a foreign land, where the success of his companions caused him to slide into artistic lethargy.

Felix Mitterer begins his piece, which he wrote in 2021 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of this essential yet forgotten composer, in a mass accommodation facility. Starting from this low point in American exile, he embarks on a search for a man whose struggle with his own destiny increasingly determined his existence. A multi-layered psychological profile emerges that skillfully intertwines temporal, spatial, and emotional levels by highlighting crucial encounters.

(Source: josefstadt.org)