Emilie Mayer (1812-1883)
Symphony No 3 in C major (1850)
Symphony No 7 in F minor (1856)
NDR Radiophilharmonie/ Jan Willem de Vriend
rec. 2022, Großer Sendesaal, NDR Landesfunkhaus, Hannover, Germany
CPO 555 511-2 [64]
Emilie Mayer is another composer to have benefitted from CPO’s determination to record works by forgotten or marginalised composers – this appears to be their fourth disc of symphonic or chamber music devoted to her work. But they are not alone with several other German labels producing discs of her many works so a re-evaluation of her music – on CD at least – seems to be taking place. Due to her receiving a large inheritance on the death of her father when she was in her late twenties, Mayer was able to focus her energies and considerable talent on studying composition – initially with Carl Löwe – and latterly using that money to help promote her work through concerts in Berlin where she engaged the best players in the most prestigious venues. These concerts were well received both by the public and critics but as CPO’s extended liner note makes clear, for all her talent opportunities for performances and publication were limited unless self-funded simply on account of her gender and, by extension, contacts. Mayer lived a long life at a time of great social and political change; she was born in the year Napoleon invaded Russia and Beethoven was writing his 7th and 8th symphonies but in the year of her death the Orient Express ran for the first time, Brahms wrote his 3rd symphony and Arnold Bax was born.
The debut concert that Mayer staged in Berlin was on April 21st 1850 and the main work was her most recent symphony – Symphony No 3 in C major ‘Militair’ which opens this disc. There is a lot of musical interest in the work and Mayer handles her material confidently and with skill but at heart these are essentially conservative works. The liner sets great store by Mayer’s novel use of harmony and rhythm. Although it is perfectly right to consider her music at least the equal of many of her better-known contemporaries, at the same time it would be wrong to suggest they are at the same level of genius as the likes of Mendelssohn or Schumann. That has nothing to do with gender or lack of opportunity, just simple talent. Both symphonies follow the traditional four-movement form with the slow movements placed second and both play around the half hour mark; 31:45 and 34:50 respectively. The opening music of Symphony No 3 is a distinct hark-back to late Classical/early Romantic symphonies with a brief introductory Adagio leading to a main movement Allegro con brio. Much of the style is pretty predictable but the interest lies in little twists and quirks in the melodic lines and accompanying harmonies that lifts the music out of the generic even if it is essentially relatively conservative. Much the same can be said of the following Adagio and Scherzo – allegro although the latter tweaks with the lilting 3 in a bar rhythm bringing the melody a beat earlier onto the anacrusis. Also the first violins melody uses a harmonic for the highest note in certain phrases which is quite unusual for the period – the upper range reaching up to a high B natural is similarly uncommon. The finale, with the addition of drums and cymbals and extra brass gives the work its “Militair’ subtitle. This is an energetic and celebratory military march that I can imagine would have received great acclaim at its early performances.
The Symphony No 7 in F minor was written just six years later and represents a considerable technical and emotional advance on the earlier work. It is the last of Mayer extant symphonies – there is documentary evidence that she had written an eighth by 1857 but the music for this is currently lost. Despite all her efforts at self-promotion and the positive response to her works, it proved impossible to get performances staged away from Berlin which she did not organise or pay for. Again the CPO liner is both enthusiastic and detailed in its musical analysis of this work. Here she dives straight into the opening Allegro agitato with no slow introduction with the liner elaborating on Mayer’s sophisticated handling of the thematic material. To the listener, the sound is noticeably closer the Romantic ideals of Schumann with strong contrasts and a sense of storm and stress that the earlier symphony did not seek. The central movements are especially appealing. The song-like Adagio is a distinct evolution on the earlier work with a quite beautiful melody given to the cellos divided in three and doubled by the French horns that has an emotional warmth not evident elsewhere on the disc. The way in which Mayer develops the material in this movement too is interesting – to the ear it has the effect of a theme and variations with this attractive melody passed around the whole orchestra before a return to the very opening. The scherzo this time has more of a folk-dance in the style of some of Smetana’s earlier piano works with Mayer making much use of hemiola rhythms and sharp off-beat accentuations. Again the progression in style and musical aspiration in a handful of years is very marked. As the liner states, the finale sweeps away any sense of conflict or drama and in its rousing energy is probably the least interesting part of the symphony although it is undoubtedly effective. Mayer’s treatment of the material – which itself is less memorable than elsewhere – feels more contrived with the progression through the keys resulting in some sequential writing which sounds more academic than inspired. But certainly this is a work that deserves a place in the repertoire and should be heard by anyone with an interest in the development of the Romantic Symphony in Germany.
The CPO production and engineering is as reliably good as we have come to expect – although I am surprised the producer or engineer did not get the creaky chair on the right side of the orchestra swapped out in the 7th Symphony! Conductor Jan Willem de Vriend is best known to collectors through his work as chief conductor with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra where his Beethoven cycle of symphonies and concerti received glowing reviews. De Vriend’s background is as a violinist/specialist in period performance and – as with his Beethoven – he applies these here to a modern instrument orchestra. Specifically, the violins are divided, play with little vibrato and the timpani use hard sticks. The NDR Radiophilharmonie play very well but I am not sure in this instance that de Vriend’s approach pays unquestionable dividends. Part of the problem is the issue of tonal consistency for the strings. While it is relatively ‘easy’ to mimic period performance style when playing slowly/quietly with reduced bow pressure and minimal vibrato, as soon as the music demands more energy and dynamic modern instruments will give you a bigger fuller tone that you simply cannot avoid. The result here is a rather etiolated string sound in the quieter passages in striking contrast to the weight and power of the louder passages. The actual playing itself and the balances as recorded are very good. By coincidence the last CPO disc I reviewed used a similar modern-but-HIP approach with performances of the two symphonies by Mayer’s teacher Carl Löwe where Simon Gaudenz conducted The Jenaer Philharmonie (review). For some reason this technical issue was not so marked there.
An interesting and valuable recording of a pair of symphonies which deserve to be heard.
NICK BARNARD
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