Emilie Mayer: Symphony No.7 in F minor (1855-6)

[gprengel]

The masterwork by E.Mayer seems to be this great symphony in f-minor which for me surpasses all her other symphonies , even  all her other works. Especially the first 3 movements are quite a discovery, and here above all the most beautiful and melodious Adagio!!! ...) !! :

[Double-A]

I like it too.  I suppose you can make the case that it is superior to her other symphonies.  However, since none of us have heard all her other works we should maybe wait before giving this symphony first rank among all of the the composer's works.

[Ilja]

In general, though, I must say that I think Mayer continued to approve with age, both in terms of technical and creative skill. In fact, my favorite work by her is the Faust Overture of 1880.

[Alan Howe]

The YouTube performance is, of course, the one wrongly designated 'No.5' on Dreyer Gaido; the much punchier performance on cpo, correctly numbered, is the one to go for:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/emilie-mayer-symphonien-nr-3-7/hnum/10892972

[Alan Howe]

I've said before that I don't think Mayer is a 'top tier' composer - she's just not distinctive enough and her inspiration - in her symphonies at least - tends to vary.  No.7 is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination.

[semloh]

As an example of the unwarranted hype, herewith a contrary opinion, taken from The San Diego Reader:

Let's consider the music of Mayer's fifth/seventh. In terms of enjoyment this music surpasses any symphony by Mendelssohn except for his Italian Symphony. It also surpasses any symphony composed by Schubert except for, maybe, his Unfinished.

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/apr/16/blurt-emilie-mayer-great-composer/
  

[Ilja]

To be fair, the author states how ""Surpasses" is a terrible way to state the case. This isn't a competition.". Only to then turn it into a competition.

Quite apart from the futility of such qualitative comparisons and the question of whether any composer can be objectively "great", this seems to be taking things a tad too far. And it's ultimately self-defeating; I suspect that people who expect that Mayer's Seventh will make them forget, say, the Schubert C major, will be leaving disappointed.

[Alan Howe]

Exactly.