Mayr: Gioas Oratorio / Hauk, Lauren-Brown, Sellier, Frey, Burkhart

$14.99
Label
Naxos
Release Date
September 25, 2012
Format
Added to Cart! View cart or continue shopping.


    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      MAYR
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Simon Mayr Choir & Ensemble
    • PERFORMER
      Fra, Andreas Burkhart, Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier, Andrea Lauren-Brown
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      September 25, 2012
    • UPC
      747313271078
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      8572710-11
    • LABEL
      Naxos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Choral - Sacred
    Works ⌄

    1. Sinfonia

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    2. Part I: Introduzione: Inno: Del raggio del purissimo (Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    3. Part I: Recitativo: Coll'armi e l'arte in mano (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    4. Part I: Cavatina: Ombre amate (Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    5. Part I: Recitativo: E Adrasto ancor non viene? (Sebia, Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Cornel Frey, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    6. Part I: Recitativo accompagnato: Come soave (Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    7. Part I: Aria: Cessate di piangere (Adrasto, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    8. Part I: Recitativo accompagnato: Vedo di Giojada al fianco (Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    9. Part I: Cavatina: Sommo clemente Dio (Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    10. Part I: Recitativo: E da tuo duol (Giojada, Sebia, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    11. Part I: Recitativo accompagnato: Tu mi rammenti quei giorni fortunati (Sebia, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    12. Part I: Duetto: Figlio mio (Sebia, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    13. Part I: Recitativo: Che vidi (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    14. Part I: Aria: Spesso in tacer si fugge (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    15. Part I: Recitativo: Signore, Dimmi Adrasto dov'e? (Sebia, Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Andreas Burkhart, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    16. Part I: Finale: Recitativo accompagnato: Qual timor, qual rispetto (Adrasto, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    17. Part I: Finale: L'arcano impenetrabile (Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    18. Part I: Finale: Recitativo: Adrasto, a te commessa (Giojada, Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    19. Part I: Finale: Aria: Nume benefico (Gioas, Adrasto, Giojada, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier, Cornel Frey, Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    20. Part I: Finale: Scena: Pieta, pieta (Gioas, Adrasto, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Chorus, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier, Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    21. Part I: Finale: Duettino: Giusto ciel (Adrasto, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    22. Part I: Finale: Qual fragor! (All)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier, Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    23. Part II: Recitativo: Per mano ostile (Adrasto, Sebia, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey, Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    24. Part II: Recitativo accompagnato: M'odi (Gioas, Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier, Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    25. Part II: Duetto: Sei di pietade indegno (Sebia, Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    26. Part II: Recitativo: Fidi Leviti intorno al sacro altare (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    27. Part II: Recitativo accompagnato: Ecco il sasso feral (Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    28. Part II: Aria: Confusa quest'alma (Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    29. Part II: Recitativo accompagnato: Dal Sacerdote (Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    30. Part II: Aria: Desolata genitrice (Gioas)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    31. Part II: Recitativo accompagnato: Questo no, non m'inganno (Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    32. Part II: Aria: Non tradirmi in quest'istante (Sebia, Giojada, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    33. Part II: Recitativo: Dal delirar hai tu cessato ancora (Giojada, Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Andrea Lauren Brown, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    34. Part II: Aria: Il mortal s'attenta invano (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    35. Part II: Recitativo: Hai risoluto (Sebia, Adrasto)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Cornel Frey, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    36. Part II: Terzetto: Dopo si barbare, si rie vicende (Gioas, Adrasto, Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Robert Sellier, Cornel Frey, Andrea Lauren Brown

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    37. Part II: Recitativo: Sebia non mi fuggir (Giojada, Sebia)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Andrea Lauren Brown, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    38. Part II: Quartetto: Ferma (Sebia, Giojada, Gioas, Adrasto, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Andreas Burkhart, Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    39. Part II: Aria: Lasciatemi, inumani (Adrasto, Gioas, Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    40. Part II: Marcia

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    41. Part II: I pianti scendano (Chorus)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    42. Part II: Recitativo: Cessi ogni timor (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart, Franz Hauk

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    43. Part II: Recitativo accompagnato: Dopo tante vicende (Giojada)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk

    44. Part II: Finale: Noi prostesi al Regio Trono (All)

      Composer: Johann Simon Mayr

      Ensemble: Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Simon Mayr Chorus, Simon Mayr Ensemble

      Performer: Andrea Lauren Brown, Cornel Frey, Robert Sellier, Andreas Burkhart

      Conductor: Franz Hauk




MAYR Gioas • Franz Hauk, cond; Andrea Lauren Brown (sop); Robert Sellier (ten); Cornel Frey (ten); Andreas Burkhart (bs); Bavarian St Op Ch; Simon Mayr Ch & Ens • NAXOS 8.572710-11 (2 CDs: 111:22)


Only two issues ago (36:2), I had my first taste of music by Simon Mayr, on a Naxos CD featuring three of the composer’s concertos led, as here, by Franz Hauk, who seems to be somewhat of a Mayr specialist. In that review, I was forced to admit that I was not previously familiar with Mayr, most likely because his main area of endeavor was opera, a field in which I claim no particular expertise. The review concluded by wondering if, as mainly a composer of opera, Mayr was best represented by a disc of his concertos, and with a promise to get back to the reader with an answer once I gained more familiarity with his work.


The wait wasn’t a long one. Here we have Mayr’s Gioas (Joash, King of Judea), designated a “parody oratorio,” so-called because it draws upon Mayr’s opera, I misteri eleusini for its material. I gather that the work bears certain similarities to the composer’s David in the Cave of Engedi , reviewed by Patrick Rucker in 32:4, and Samuele , both previously recorded for Naxos by Hauk. A parody oratorio, as I understand it, involves the practice of adapting popular operatic works to religious texts so they could be performed during Holy Week while his Holiness looked the other way.


Gioas dates from 1823 and is set to a libretto by an unknown author (or one who preferred to remain anonymous) that tells a story of internecine blood-letting over rights to the throne, treachery, and retribution, all of which through self-sacrifice and appeasement of various gods, goddesses, and priests—that’s the religious aspect—culminates in a happy ending. The work is appropriately referred to in the program note as “pseudo-sacred,” or, to call it what it is, a barely disguised excuse to present an unstaged opera in the guise of an oratorio. Mayr was not alone in fashioning such Church-sanctioned entertainments. The tradition persisted, mainly in Italy, through much of the 19th century, with Emilio Cianchi’s Giudetta , composed in 1854, being performed as late as 1912. Knowing this, it’s a bit difficult to follow the intrigues of the plot and to listen to the impassioned arias, the pattering recitatives, and the solemn and celebratory choruses without a smile and a smirk. No matter how much holy water you sprinkle on it, the opera that’s inside this oratorio won’t be exorcised. Considering that Gioas was written in the same year as Rossini’s Semiramide , Mayr’s work sounds rather dated for its time. But having been born in 1763, Mayr was almost 30 years Rossini’s senior. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that Mayr’s style should more closely resemble Mozart’s than it does Rossini’s.


The music is delightful, often touching, and artfully crafted for the voice. It’s no wonder that Mayr was so celebrated for his operas. The four soloists are all very convincing in their roles and well matched vocally. Add to that enlivened playing from Hauk’s instrumental forces, and you have a winning performance. Unfortunately, Naxos has not provided a text or translation, but the album note gives a pretty good synopsis of the mishmash that calls itself a plot. If you can pretend while listening to Mayr’s Gioas that it’s not just an opera masquerading as a sacred oratorio, you will find much in the work and in this recording of it to enjoy.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins