The Early Fruit of My Naxos Subscription

I finally coughed up the $19.95 annual fee to become a subscriber to the Naxos music library via their website.

(This is the basic membership, btw. There's a much more expensive option aimed at professional musicians, composers, and scholars.)

Today, I stumbled across a nice discovery, Alexander von Zemlinsky's The Mermaid.

I don't think I can describe it any better than the Naxos site:

"Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the mermaid who sacrifices herself out of unrequited love for a prince, the work places greater emphasis on thematic development than on mere illustration. Written over three decades later, when Zemlinsky’s music was taking on a more astringent manner, the Sinfonietta is remarkable for its nervous energy, anguished passion and sheer virtuosity."

Here, here. It certainly puts Disney to shame. I wonder what a film (or even an animated version) would look like with Zemlinsky's music and a director like Tim Burton?

Speaking of, the trailer is out for Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Looks intriguing. He keeps experimenting with mood. The colors here are gorgeously overripe; in some scenes from the trailer, it looks like the characters are running around in an aquarium filled with unstirred tea. Excited to see it.