Johann Simon Mayr: Overtures (2016)

Mayr Overtures With Franz Hauk

Johann Simon Mayr (1763 -- 1845) was a prolific composer of oratorio and opera. His work shows the influence of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart and of Italian bel canto. Although his music had been almost forgotten, it has been rescued from oblivion due in part to the efforts of Franz Hauk (b. 1955), a German conductor who founded the Simon Mayr Choir in 2003 and has tirelessly championed the composer's music. Hauk and the choir have recorded many of Mayr's works for Naxos.

Unlike most of Hauk's recordings, this CD consists of a collection of overtures Mayr composed to several of his long works rather than a single composition. The recording includes 11 overtures Mayr wrote between his student years (1794) and the works of his maturity up to the overture to "Menonne e Zemira" composed in 1817. Thus, the CD offers an introduction of Mayr as a composer of a particular kind of instrumental music, but it doesn't show him as a vocal composer as an opera or oratorio would do.

The overtures on this CD make for delightful listening. They are sprightly curtain-raisers. Most often, the overtures consist of a slow, stage-setting introduction followed by a lively section. The overtures include solo writing for winds, strings and percussion, changes in tempo and texture, dramatic silences, and dynamic changes, including lengthy build-ups and crescendos. Among the works I enjoyed were the overture to "Ercole in Lydia", composed in 1803 which includes an unusual harp solo and the overture to "Gil Americani" composed in 1806 which includes a clear quotation from the opening movement of Beethoven's third piano in C minor, opus 37. The 1809 overture to "Raul di Crequi" is dramatic, richly orchestrated, and makes extensive use of counterpoint.

The CD offers performances by three separate ensembles, each under Hauk's direction. The Bavarian Classical Players, an ensemble formed from the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Munich, performs three overtures. The Concerto De Bassus, an internationally-based ensemble of young professional musicians and students, performs sparklingly on six overtures while the Virtuosi Italiani, a group drawn from Italian orchestras and music schools perform the two earliest works on this CD. It is good to hear the variety of the ensembles performing Mayr.

Franz Hauk wrote the liner notes which include brief information about each work. The music is accessible and will appeal to listeners wanting to wander off the beaten track to discover a worthwhile composer who straddled several musical worlds. I have heard and reviewed on Amazon a late Requiem of Mayr and an early oratorio and look forward to hearing more. I am pleased that Hauk and Naxos have made his work accessible. Naxos kindly sent me a review copy of this recording.

Total Time: 1:07:22

Robin Friedman