PROGR AM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
page 14
EMILIE MAYER born: May 14, 1812 in Friedland, Germany died: April 10, 1883 in Berlin, Germany
Faust Overture (1880) premiere: March 1881 in Berlin
approx. duration: 12 minutes
German composer Emilie Mayer began music studies at the age of five. Encouraged by her father, a successful pharmacist, Emily started piano lessons. By her own account, Emilie Mayer was soon composing “variations, dances, little rondos, etc.” Mayer pursued music studies with Carl Loewe in Stettin (now, Szczecin, Poland), and Adolph Bernhard Marx and Wilhelm Wieprecht in Berlin. Both Loewe and Wieprecht championed Mayer’s compositions in concert. At a time when women were fanatically discouraged from composing, Emilie Mayer persevered. She composed prolifically, and through her own initiative, was able to secure throughout Europe both publication and performances of her works. Mayer’s catalog includes eight symphonies, numerous other orchestral works, and dozens of pieces for chamber ensemble. Mayer’s Faust Overture dates from 1880. By then, such eminent composers as Berlioz, Gounod, Liszt, Schumann, and Wagner had created successful musical works inspired by Goethe’s Faust. It’s an indication of Mayer’s self-confidence that she chose a topic inviting comparisons to these music luminaries. And Mayer’s Faust Overture reflects the inspiration and craft of a highly accomplished composer, in recent times the subject of renewed interest and appreciation. The Faust Overture begins with an expansive, brooding slowtempo introduction (Adagio), inaugurated by the strings and bassoons. An agitated episode launches the ensuing Allegro. The key shifts from B minor to D major for a sequence featuring a charming waltz and noble chorale; depictions, perhaps, of Gretchen’s innocence and purity. A varied reprise of the initial Allegro culminates in a triumphant major-key transformation of its agitated music, the affirmation of Faust’s redemption by Gretchen. (Program Notes continued next page)
