Johann Simon Mayr: Alfredo il Grande

Johann Simon Mayr: Alfredo il Grande

8.660483-84 (Naxos Records, CD, 2 discs)

DDD
FIRST RELEASE (11 February 2022)

Playing time: 87'08"/69'16" - TT 156'24"
Tracks: 15 + 17
Booklet pages: 16
© 2022 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Main country of recording: Germany
Country of manufacture: Germany
Reviewer: Gerald Fenech
Review of Johann Simon Mayr: Alfredo il Grande published on 18 September 2022

Marie-Luise Dressen, mezzo-soprano (Alfredo/Elfrido)
Markus Schäfer, tenor (Gutrumo)
Daniel Ochoa, bass (Etelberto)
Anna Feith, soprano (Alinda)
Sophia Körber, soprano (Alsvita)
Philipp Polhardt, tenor (Amundo)
Simon Mayr Chorus
Members of Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Concerto de Bassus
Dmitry Lepekhov, concertmaster
Franz Hauk, conductor

Johann Simon Mayr (1763-1845):

Alfredo il Grande ('Alfred the Great') - opera seria in two acts (original Milan version, 1819), to a libretto by Bartolomeo Merelli (1794-1879)

CD1

1 Sinfonia

2-15 Act I

CD2

1-17 Act II

Medieval England exerted a strong influence on Johann Simon Mayr, especially during his final proto-Romantic period. Alfredo il Grande was to be one of his last operas, with a narrative that takes us to a land under threat of war with the Vikings. Escaping capture, Alfred the Great travels incognito, ultimately defeating the enemy and rescuing his beloved Alsvita. With its grandiose choruses and sensuous melodies, this opera was conceived on a monumental scale and proved both impressive at its premiere and influential on the next generation of bel canto composers, making a substantial contribution to the development of the melodramma romantico.

Recorded 18-25 August 2019 at Kongregationssaal, Neuburg, Germany.