American Record Guide
January/February 2006
MAYR:
Sisara
Vanessa Barkowski (Sisara),
Talia Or (Jahel), Stefanie Braun (Debbora, Thamar), Petra van der Mieden
(Barac, Elcana), Claudia Schneider (Abra, Dina), Simon Mayr Choir, Accademia 1
Filarmonici di Verona/ Franz Hauk
Guild 7288 [2CD] 93:32
Born in Germany as
Johann Simon Mayr or Meier, and settled early in Italy, Giovanni Simon Mayr
(1763-1845) has long been remembered mainly as the teacher and mentor of
Donizetti. But his own music has been winning revival and even recording in
recent decades-mainly his own not-inconsiderable operas, but also his lesser
vocal and instrumental works. In his operas we can hear the early budding of
what would become the romantic Italian idiom of bel canto. But this release
brings us a unique glimpse into his formative development as a bridge between
18thand 19th Century styles.
Venice was one of his
earliest haltingpoints in Italy, and he found a Base for opera-tions there in
the foundling asylum of San Lazaro dei Mendicanti. For that Institution he
composed four Latin oratorios in the years 1791-95, and Sisara is the second of
them, dating from 1793. Its libretto, based an Chapter 4 of the Book of Judges,
tells essentially the same story as retailed in Handel's second English
oratorio, Deborah. The Hebrew leader, Deborah, prevails an the young Jahel or
Jael to seduce and murder (by hammering a nail through his head) the Canaanite
general Sisara, who was then attacking the Hebrews.
The first thing that is
interesting about this oratorio is that it is in Latin. This conforms to a
practice going back through the 18th Century in Venice at least to Vivaldi's
Juditha Triumphans, demonstrating the durability of that practice right up to
the end of the Venetian Republic and the convent institutions that nurtured it.
The second interesting thing is that the S. Lazaro dei Mendicanti asylum was one
of the ospedali for girls, just like Vivaldi's Pietà. Thus (and even more
strictly than in Vivaldi's oratorio) all the roles and the choral parts are
written for female voices. Finally, we hear this old-fashioned Latin treatment
clothed in music still echoing the style and sonorities of Mozart and Haydn, but
already looking forward to a softer and more sentimental proto-romantic idiom.
Here is Mayr the transitionalist in full display.
And the writing is
already very accomplished, with a string of arias that bring out more of the
tenderness than the violence of relationships in the Story. The opening Sinfonia
is a fine piece of orchestral writing, and the concluding chorus is a real
zinger. No neglected masterpiece, but a quite enjoyable score, worthy of
revival.
The soloists here are,
if not dazzling, thoroughly reliable and satisfying. The provincial orchestra
plays with fine confidence, and the women's chorus is part of an ensemble with a
mission. The brief notes purport to be in English, but the full text is given
with translations.
A low-profile but
rewarding release.
International Record Review June 2005
Vanessa Barkowski
(mezzo) Sisara; Talia Or
(soprano) lahel; Stefanie Braun
(soprano)
Debbora, Thamar;
Petra van der Mieden
(soprano) Barac, Elcana;
Claudia Schneider (soprano) Abra, Dina;
Simon Mayr Choir; Accademia i
Filarmonici di Verona/Franz Hauk
(harpsichord).
Guild GMCD7288/9
(full price, two discs, 1 hour 34 minutes).
Latin texts and English/German translations included. Website
www.guildmusic.com. Producer/ Engineer Michael Ponder. Dates
September 9th-12th, 2004.
The booklet notes tell
us a little about the music and the work's dramatic structures, gives us full
texts and translations and provides full biographies of all the performers.
However, they neglect to tell us who Simon Mayr was. This recording is part of a
series of Mayr recordings on Guild, in collaboration with the International
Simon Mayr Society, so the disc's producers may have the touching assumption
that Mayr is now a household name.
Johann Simon Mayr
(1763-1845) was born in Ingolstadt in Bavaria; he was educated by Benedictines
and Jesuits and spent his formative years as a church organist. Despite his
later fame as an opera composer (he wrote about 80 operas) and Donizetti's
teacher, he retained a lifelong devotion to sacred music. His interest in both
opera and oratorio was kindled by study trips to Venice in 1786 and 1790. In
1803, he moved to Italy permanently, taking up the post of Maestro di Cappella
at the basilica S. Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, which he held to the end of his
life.
Sisara
was composed in 1793,
shortly after the Venetian study trips. At first hearing, its all-female cast
and rich instrumentation reminded me unexpectedly of Vivaldi's oratorio
Juditha
Triumphans.
Both works tell the story of resolute Old Testament heroines who seduced and
then killed a foreign tyrant. Stylistically, of course, there is no similarity.
Mayr's early works, before traces of Romanticism appeared, are firmly in the
late-Classical mould. In its nobility and seriousness of purpose, I was also
reminded on occasion of Mozart's La
Clemenza di Tito,
while the luxuriant
wind-writing is sometimes reminiscent
of Cosi.
Finally, it was Gluck
who came to mind during the sublime cavatina 'Qualis sit locus Dulces aurae',
with its obbligato harp, flute and violin.
Still, these comparisons
are of limited value, for Mayr has a distinctive compositional voice. They
should nevertheless alert readers to the fact that
Sisara
is a very fine work,
much deserving of revival. The arias are well characterized, foreshadowing
Mayr's later operatic career. The melodies are strong, if not instantly
memorable, and the accompanied recitatives are arresting and dramatic. The
wind-writing throughout is extraordinarily rich, with horn-writing almost as
demanding as in Haydn's middle period symphonies. In the seduction duet, `Veni
somne', where Sisara is lulled to sleep by Jahel (in order to kill him), Mayr
uses the rare and distinctive timbre of the English horn - this recording,
features an original instrument from 1800.
As for the performances,
the contribution of the Italian original-instrument orchestra Accademia 1
Filarmonici di Verona is the most impressive. Previously, 1 have found its
Baroque music performances wanting in character. Italian period instrumentalists
are not well known in the late-Classical repertory, so it is encouraging to hear
this orchestra tackling a demanding score with
brio,
confidence and technical
expertise. The singers are young, fairly recent graduates of various German
conservatoriums, with clearly mainstream operatic careers in mind. They display
all the strengths and weaknesses this entails. Their voices are forthright and
characterful, undaunted by Mayr's sometimes demanding writing. This makes for
rich, often exciting singing but, with the possible exception of Claudia
Schneider (who has the smallest roles), they lack the sort of subtlety singers
trained in Early Music techniques could bring to Mayr's score. In each case,
their over-reliance on vibrato limits their capacity for tonal shading and
ornamentation (especially trills). Much as 1 enjoyed this recording, 1 kept
finding myself wondering how Susic LeBlanc, Susanne Rydén or Gloria Banditelli
might sound in these roles.
1 may not yet be ready
to join the Simon Mayr Society, but my first encounter with his music was an
agreeable surprise.
Andrew O'Connor
American Record Guide January/February 2006
Vanessa Barkowski (Sisara), Talia Or (Jahel), Stefanie
Braun (Debbora, Thamar), Petra van der Mieden (Barac, Elcana), Claudia Schneider
(Abra, Dina), Simon Mayr Choir, Accademia 1 Filarmonici di Verona/ Franz Hauk
Guild 7288 [2CD] 93:32
Born in Germany as Johann Simon Mayr or Meier, and settled
early in Italy, Giovanni Simon Mayr (1763-1845) has long been remembered mainly
as the teacher and mentor of Donizetti. But his own music has been winning
revival and even recording in recent decades-mainly his own not-inconsiderable
operas, but also his lesser vocal and instrumental works. In his operas we can
hear the early budding of what would become the romantic Italian idiom of bel
canto. But this release brings us a unique glimpse into his formative
development as a bridge between 18thand 19th Century styles.
Venice was one of his earliest haltingpoints in
Italy, and he found a Base for opera-tions there in the foundling asylum of San
Lazaro dei Mendicanti. For that Institution he composed four Latin oratorios in
the years 1791-95, and Sisara is the second of them, dating from 1793. Its
libretto, based an Chapter 4 of the Book of Judges, tells essentially the same
story as retailed in Handel's second English oratorio, Deborah. The Hebrew
leader, Deborah, prevails an the young Jahel or Jael to seduce and murder (by
hammering a nail through his head) the Canaanite general Sisara, who was then
attacking the Hebrews.
The first thing that is interesting about this
oratorio is that it is in Latin. This conforms to a practice going back through
the 18th Century in Venice at least to Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans,
demonstrating the durability of that practice right up to the end of the
Venetian Republic and the convent institutions that nurtured it. The second
interesting thing is that the S. Lazaro dei Mendicanti asylum was one of the
ospedali for girls, just like Vivaldi's Pietà. Thus (and even more strictly than
in Vivaldi's oratorio) all the roles and the choral parts are written for female
voices. Finally, we hear this old-fashioned Latin treatment clothed in music
still echoing the style and sonorities of Mozart and Haydn, but already looking
forward to a softer and more sentimental proto-romantic idiom. Here is Mayr the
transitionalist in full display.
And the writing is already very accomplished, with a
string of arias that bring out more of the tenderness than the violence of
relationships in the Story. The opening Sinfonia is a fine piece of orchestral
writing, and the concluding chorus is a real zinger. No neglected masterpiece,
but a quite enjoyable score, worthy of revival.
The soloists here are, if not dazzling, thoroughly
reliable and satisfying. The provincial orchestra plays with fine confidence,
and the women's chorus is part of an ensemble with a mission. The brief notes
purport to be in English, but the full text is given with translations.
IRR June 2005
Vanessa
Barkowski (mezzo) Sisara;
Talia Or
(soprano) lahel; Stefanie Braun
(soprano)
Debbora, Thamar;
Petra van der Mieden
(soprano) Barac, Elcana;
Claudia Schneider (soprano) Abra, Dina;
Simon Mayr Choir; Accademia i
Filarmonici di Verona/Franz Hauk
(harpsichord).
Guild GMCD7288/9
(full price, two discs, 1 hour 34 minutes).
Latin texts and English/German translations included. Website
www.guildmusic.com. Producer/ Engineer Michael Ponder. Dates
September 9th-12th, 2004.
The booklet notes tell us a little about
the music and the work's dramatic structures, gives us full texts and
translations and provides full biographies of all the performers. However, they
neglect to tell us who Simon Mayr was. This recording is part of a series of
Mayr recordings on Guild, in collaboration with the International Simon Mayr
Society, so the disc's producers may have the touching assumption that Mayr is
now a household name.
Johann Simon Mayr (1763-1845) was born
in Ingolstadt in Bavaria; he was educated by Benedictines and Jesuits and spent
his formative years as a church organist. Despite his later fame as an opera
composer (he wrote about 80 operas) and Donizetti's teacher, he retained a
lifelong devotion to sacred music. His interest in both opera and oratorio was
kindled by study trips to Venice in 1786 and 1790. In 1803, he moved to Italy
permanently, taking up the post of Maestro di Cappella at the basilica S. Maria
Maggiore in Bergamo, which he held to the end of his life.
Sisara
was composed in 1793, shortly after the Venetian study trips. At first hearing,
its all-female cast and rich instrumentation reminded me unexpectedly of
Vivaldi's oratorio Juditha Triumphans.
Both works tell the story of resolute Old
Testament heroines who seduced and then killed a foreign tyrant. Stylistically,
of course, there is no similarity. Mayr's early works, before traces of
Romanticism appeared, are firmly in the late-Classical mould. In its nobility
and seriousness of purpose, I was also reminded on occasion of Mozart's La
Clemenza di Tito,
while the luxuriant wind-writing is sometimes reminiscent
of Cosi. Finally, it was Gluck
who came to mind during the sublime cavatina 'Qualis sit locus Dulces aurae',
with its obbligato harp, flute and violin.
Still, these comparisons are of limited
value, for Mayr has a distinctive compositional voice. They should nevertheless
alert readers to the fact that Sisara
is a very fine work, much deserving of revival. The arias are
well characterized, foreshadowing Mayr's later operatic career. The melodies are
strong, if not instantly memorable, and the accompanied recitatives are
arresting and dramatic. The wind-writing throughout is extraordinarily rich,
with horn-writing almost as demanding as in Haydn's middle period symphonies. In
the seduction duet, `Veni somne', where Sisara is lulled to sleep by Jahel (in
order to kill him), Mayr uses the rare and distinctive timbre of the English
horn - this recording, features an original instrument from 1800.
As for the performances, the
contribution of the Italian original-instrument orchestra Accademia 1
Filarmonici di Verona is the most impressive. Previously, 1 have found its
Baroque music performances wanting in character. Italian period instrumentalists
are not well known in the late-Classical repertory, so it is encouraging to hear
this orchestra tackling a demanding score with
brio, confidence and technical expertise. The
singers are young, fairly recent graduates of various German conservatoriums,
with clearly mainstream operatic careers in mind. They display all the strengths
and weaknesses this entails. Their voices are forthright and characterful,
undaunted by Mayr's sometimes demanding writing. This makes for rich, often
exciting singing but, with the possible exception of Claudia Schneider (who has
the smallest roles), they lack the sort of subtlety singers trained in Early
Music techniques could bring to Mayr's score. In each case, their over-reliance
on vibrato limits their capacity for tonal shading and ornamentation (especially
trills). Much as 1 enjoyed this recording, 1 kept finding myself wondering how
Susic LeBlanc, Susanne Rydén or Gloria Banditelli might sound in these roles.
1 may not yet be ready to join the Simon
Mayr Society, but my first encounter with his music was an agreeable surprise.
Andrew O'Connor
Page revised 28.04.2006
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