Mayer 5

Rec.:Berlin Chamber Symphony Ensemble

    So as this post is a little late (good thing I've only got like one other reader for right now) I'm gonna keep it short and say that if you like Mid-Romantic music you MUST check this out. Emilie Mayer is now on my list of composers to check out more thoroughly. This 5th symphony is in F minor is a masterpiece. It is always so much harder to describe why something is great than to find the faults in it, but here it goes. The themes are all memorable and well developed, the contrapuntal writing is solid, the orchestration is great (soloists are used to great effect, there are little inspired moments where the orchestration isn't exactly what you'd expect, particularly like the use of the brass in the second movement), the forms lead the listener through the piece without effort, each movement and the piece as a whole have a good dramatic arc. Of course each of these descriptions don't really do the piece justice.

    The fact that this work isn't played more often is criminal and I will be checking more of Mayer's symphonies out in the near future (if I can find recordings, this was literally the only piece by hers on Spotify) to see if they all live up to the expectations set by this work. If so, I may have a new composer to add to my list of favorite symphonists.

    So seriously, go listen to this.