This richly orchestrated and envisioned, sweepingly Romantic symphonic poem is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale. "The Mermaid" received one performance on January 25, 1905, at a concert that also premiered (Zemlinsky's brother-in-law) Arnold Schoenberg's well-known symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande. The two composers are reported to have had many conversations about the possibilities of uniting the aesthetics of so-called "pure music" (Brahms, Busoni, Chopin, and others) with the narrative Romanticism of Wagner, Liszt, Berlioz, and others through the symphonic poem format. Zemlinsky withdrew his composition from further performance, and it wasn't until 1984 that the scores of the various movements (separated in America and Vienna) were correctly identified and a full performance was again staged.

Zemlinsky does not provide a clear programme for the three movements, but musical analogues can generally be inferred by the listener. The first movement's tempo is "Sehr mässig bewegt" (Very moderate in movement) and opens with a depiction of the depths of the sea bed alternating with the playfulness of the mermaid and other sea creatures. The initially playful theme is turned into a furious sea storm, depicting the shipwreck (briefly interrupted by a lyrical theme of concern) and eventual rescue of the Prince.

The second movement, "Sehr bewegt, rauschend" (Much movement, thunderous), opens with a marvelous effect: a roll on a suspended cymbal grows into a tremendous crescendo with the gradual accumulation of trilling winds and tremulous strings. The longing of the Mermaid for the Prince is depicted in lyrical and playful lines. The Prince receives some hunting call-type grandeur, but the main attention is paid to the Mermaid's feelings.

The third movement is "Sehr gedehnt, mit schmerzvollem Ausdruck" (Very flexible, with sorrowful expression). The visit to the Sea Witch seems to be depicted in the opening of this movement as one hears oddly chromatic passages in the high winds, which alternate with the love theme given to a solo violin in the first movement. This is followed by the Prince's wedding, surrounded by great bursts of passionate, unresolved emotion (the overwhelming feelings of the Mermaid as she watches this spectacle, rather than music for the wedding itself). This is some of the composer's finest and most original writing from his early period. The beginning music describing the depths of the sea is heard again, and gentle music describes the Mermaid's transformation into an eternal spirit of the air.

© "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide