EAN: 0747313405770

Johann Simon Mayr was a German composer who sought and found his fortune in Italy, becoming a teacher to {|Donizetti|}, among others. He wrote numerous operas, plus works in other genres … Mehr…

Johann Simon Mayr was a German composer who sought and found his fortune in Italy, becoming a teacher to {|Donizetti|}, among others. He wrote numerous operas, plus works in other genres such as the Mass in E flat major, composed around 1843 and reconstructed here by the present conductor, Franz Hauk. The mass has links to operatic practice and to an opera-like tradition known as the number mass or missa concertata, but really it's one of a kind. The action seems to speed up, as it were, as the mass proceeds. In the Kyrie and the 53-minute Gloria, most sections are preceded by a long, sometimes startlingly long, instrumental section; the orchestra emerges as almost an equal partner to the choir and soloists. Then, at the Incarnatus in the Credo, ornamented by a really lovely solo violin line, this structure breaks down; the story of the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection is told in extremely vivid pictorial music. From there, the mass concludes quickly. It's not shaped like any other mass in the repertory (although there are other masses by Mayr that remain unperformed), and it sticks in the head despite, or perhaps because of, its strangeness. The performances by Hauk, the {|Simon Mayr Chorus|}, and the historical-performance group {|Concerto de Bassus|} are not ideal, with troublesome tempo fluctuations and some odd voices among the soloists, but anyone interested in 19th century Italian music will find this an intriguing release. Music>Music>Classical>Classical Artist>Class Artist, Naxos Core >3<

EAN: 0747313405770

Johann Simon Mayr was a German composer who sought and found his fortune in Italy, becoming a teacher to Donizetti, among others. He wrote numerous operas, plus works in other genres such… Mehr…

Johann Simon Mayr was a German composer who sought and found his fortune in Italy, becoming a teacher to Donizetti, among others. He wrote numerous operas, plus works in other genres such as the Mass in E flat major, composed around 1843 and reconstructed here by the present conductor, Franz Hauk. The mass has links to operatic practice and to an opera-like tradition known as the number mass or missa concertata, but really it's one of a kind. The action seems to speed up, as it were, as the mass proceeds. In the Kyrie and the 53-minute Gloria, most sections are preceded by a long, sometimes startlingly long, instrumental section; the orchestra emerges as almost an equal partner to the choir and soloists. Then, at the Incarnatus in the Credo, ornamented by a really lovely solo violin line, this structure breaks down; the story of the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection is told in extremely vivid pictorial music. From there, the mass concludes quickly. It's not shaped like any other mass in the repertory (although there are other masses by Mayr that remain unperformed), and it sticks in the head despite, or perhaps because of, its strangeness. The performances by Hauk, the Simon Mayr Chorus, and the historical-performance group Concerto de Bassus are not ideal, with troublesome tempo fluctuations and some odd voices among the soloists, but anyone interested in 19th century Italian music will find this an intriguing release. Music>Music>Classical>Classical Artist>Class Artist, Naxos Core >3<

ISBN: 0747313405770

CD Audio, Naxos