Emilie Mayer Symphony No.6

[Alan Howe]

'Twice' is the clue here - hence two recordings. Thanks, Ros.

And thanks, Ros, for all your efforts on behalf of Emilie!

[Alan Howe]

Here's the first official announcement of the new Hänssler CD:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/emilie-mayer-symphonien-nr-3-6/hnum/10918489

[terry martyn]

Thanks for that timely news. I wasn´t aware that the coupling was so attractive, and I have gone ahead and ordered my copy.

[Alan Howe]

[Alan Howe]

...and it's a fine CD. But now that we have a fuller picture of Emilie as a symphonist my enthusiasm is waning somewhat. Why? Because, despite many felicities, I rarely find myself gripped over an entire movement, let alone a whole symphony. I am thoroughly glad to have become acquainted with her music, but for me her younger contemporary Louise Farrenc is the superior symphonist. Compare for example LF's 3rd Symphony (1949): there's more sheer 'oomph' (for want of a better word) in the writing and I find her handling of the woodwind more varied and interesting.

In sum, I think Farrenc is the better symphonist; however, overall, Emilie may well still merit the title of Europe's (19th Century) Greatest Female Composer.

[hyperdanny]

Very good cd...while I remain convinced that the 3rd (here spelled ;French standard "Militaire" ) is not among Mayer's best, I like this tauter performance much better than MDG's (that release, though, remains invaluable for the Overtures).
Totally different story about the 6th, which in my opinion is a very strong , dramatic work, a very fine symphony,
BTW i found Haenssler's liner notes especially informative and well written.

[Ilja]

I have a recording of Mayer's "Sixth", played by the Philharmonisches Orchester Kiel under Benjamin Reiners, which I think I recorded from BBC radio a few years back. There's something weird going on here. The timings of that recording and Niemann's are roughly similar, but the composition of the movements is different. After the first movement, Niemann's second movement is Reiners' 2nd and 3rd combined, but Niemann's 3rd and 4th movement are combined by Reiners in one final movement. this leads to the following timings:

Niemann > Reiners
1. 14:24 > 14:29
2. 10:05 > 4:39 (=1st half of Niemann 2nd)
3. 7:17 > 4:18 (=2nd half of Niemann 2nd)
4. 6:38 > 14:02 (=Niemann 3+4)

Not that I care much about formalities, but I'd like to know how the composer assembled the movements.

[BerlinExpat]

The Reiners' recording in the downloads section is practically identical to the new Hännsler recording.

Reiners
1. 14:29
2. 8:56
3. 7:32
4. 6:31

[Ilja]

Thanks. Unfortunately I don't remember where I got mine (wasn't my own recording as I thought earlier); bound to be some mistake.