Zemlinsky: Cello Sonata, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano

Another attractive collection to demonstrate the melodic immediacy of Zemlinsky’s appeals. The Clarinet Trio is lusciously fluent; the Cello Sonata is passionate and lyrical by turns, with a lonely, meditative central Andante. The Three Pieces for Cello and Piano (Humoreske Lied, and Tarantell) are as diverting, varied and attractive as one would expect from this very winning composer. The performances are first rate and the recording has fine immediacy and excellent balance. --Penguin Guide ***

Pianist Hinterhuber strikes me as the driving force in all three performances; he has a fine feeling for Zemlinsky, striding along where his fellow artists are merely playing the notes. Müller and Ottensamer are equally fine musicians, but are more reticent; I do not sense a real feeling for the music at hand. 

The recorded sound may exaggerate the differences; it is pleasant enough but not carefully balanced, allowing the piano to take advantage of its inherent power, at times swamping the cello and the clarinet…Naxos disc is recommended to Zemlinsky fanciers as a look back into his early years of composition. --Fanfare, September 2008