Emilie Mayer: Piano Concerto & Overtures (cpo)

[eschiss1]

This new recording conducted by Willens contains the piano concerto, two concert overtures, and the Faust-Overture by Emilie Mayer (release date apparently 21 July).

[Alan Howe]

I think there are four overtures in all on this CD: in D minor, No.2 in D major, No.3 in C major and the Faust Overture.

[Gareth Vaughan]

That's right, Alan - and I think, once CPO release the last disk in their symphony cycle, which should contain Nos 4 & 6, they will have recorded all Emilie Mayer's extant orchestral works (I hope I am proved wrong!).

[BerlinExpat]

Emilie Mayer's Overtures

According to the composer she wrote twelve overtures up to 1857 but it is known she wrote three after 1857, so as in some literature the she may well have composed fifteen in total.
Before 1857
Overture No 2 in D major
Overture No 3 in C major
Overture in D minor
Overture in C minor (only sketches)
Overture in E major (subsequently used as the Overture to the singspiel Die Fischerin.
After 1857
Overture to Faust, op. 46
Ouverture serieuse (lost)
Overtura giacosa (lost)

[eschiss1]

I will let them by _this time_ for not recording lost overtures or those that exist only as sketches (I suppose it depends on what "only sketches" means...) The overture to Die Fischerin might be interesting.

[BerlinExpat]

 "only sketches" in this case means a particella which is generally sufficient for an orchestrator to complete the work. Any volunteers?

[Alan Howe]

My copy arrived from jpc this morning. So far I've listened to the Overture in D minor and Overture No.3 in C major. Both are lively and well worth recording, but not really that individual - rather like her symphonies, in my view. This isn't great music - but then I don't believe Emilie was a great composer. Compare any of EM's overtures with, for example, Rufinatscha's roughly contemporary 'Die Braut von Messina' and one encounters a level of inspiration and mastery of a quite different order. IMHO, of course.

[Double-A]

Let's keep in mind that all the overtures with the exception of "Faust" are early works; they appear to be "preparatory exercises" for the symphonies.  I transcribed the d-minor overture (along with parts) for IMSLP a few years ago and I was rather disappointed with the work.  It does not really lift off; the supposed rousing coda does not rouse (I think in this genre the rousing is mandatory).  And even the Faust overture does not enthuse me.

In the symphonies I find better stuff like the opening movement of the f-minor symphony or the slow one of the b-minor to point out some favorites.  The quartet in e-minor is also far superior.

I do think that the best of Mayer is to be found in her chamber music and probably in the works written after she abandoned the symphony as her main goal.

[Alan Howe]

I think that's a very fair assessment.

[eschiss1]

I hope the Faust overture doesn't have a rousing coda... not what I associate with the sense of the Goethe (if it's based on the Goethe) but it should still take.

[Double-A]

Good point, Eric.  Goethe does generally not inspire rousing.

[eschiss1]

Ok, I'm not sure I would go that far. I only meant that the ending of his Faust - especially that of Faust part II - can rouse (Mahler makes it do - but he takes us through some of the spots along the way and justifies it. And I say this as someone who only recently has come to like the 8th symphony.) An overture that calls itself Faust, ends itself with a rousing conclusion that seems to have no connection with the death-and-redemption conclusion ... ok, to be fair, sorry, that's the death-and-redemption conclusion of _Goethe's_ Faust, so if they don't claim it's associated with his Faust in particular, no worries