Daily album review 6: A German group’s compelling bel canto cantata of Ariadne’s island getaway

So there’s this woman, Ariadne, who falls in love with Minotaur-slaying Theseus, elopes with him, then, when she gets on the wrong side of her man, he abandons her on the Island of Naxos, where she sloughs depressed until, according to Hesiod, Dyonisus/Bacchus pops by to sweep her off her feet.

The ancient Greek story has been rich fodder for many a composer with a flair for drama.

One of the many settings of the legend came from German-born composer Simon Mayr (1763-1845), who spent his working life in Italy and, most significantly, was one of Gioachino Rossini’s teachers.

A German chorus and orchestra last month released Mayr’s 60-minute cantata setting of Arianna in Nasso on the Naxos label, revealing beautiful music that straddles the understated order of Mozart, the drama of Sturm und Drang and the frilliness of bel canto.

According to Keith Anderson’s album notes, Mayr wrote some 70 operas and 600 pieces of sacred music between 1794 and 1824. The prolixity of sacred writing comes from the fact that the composer was the music director at the cathedral in Bergamo for more than 40 years — from 1802 until his death.

Arianna in Nasso sits firmly on the operatic side, written as a vehicle for the prima donna assoluta of the day, Spanish soprano Isabella Colbran (who, after a colourful single life, became Mrs Rossini in 1822). She gets a dramatic aria near the beginning, as well as ensemble moments with the chorus and a lovely duet with Bacchus.

German soprano Cornelia Horak sings Ariadne. She has a gorgeous, pure voice which she deploys with great musicality, but, ultimately, there is too little drama in her delivery. American tenor Thomas Michael Allen is excellent in all respects as Bacchus. The Simon Mayr Chorus is a bit uneven, frequently sounding out of tune, but conductor Franz Hauk does an excellent job with the small orchestra from his harpsichord.

This may not be a perfect recording, but it’s good enough to showcase the work of a talented composer. It adds yet another fine setting of the Ariadne story to the repertoire — one ideally suited to a small-scale presentation, given the need for only two soloists and chorus.

For all the details on the album, click here.

Here, as a sample of Mayr’s richly dramatic style is his Overture to Medea in Corinth, performed by a larger ensemble than what we hear in Arianna:

John Terauds