Telemaco

Siri Karoline Thornhill, Andrea Lauren Brown, Jaewon Yun, Katharina Ruckgaber (sopranos), Markus Schäfer (tenor), Niklas Mallmann (bass), & Members of the Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Simon Mayr Choir & Concerto de Bassus, Franz Hauk (harpsichord and conductor)

Mayrs Telemaco was een product van woelige politieke tijden in de Republiek Venetië, die eind 1796 door Napoleons troepen was bezet. Militaire elementen, met ingebouwde marsen, komen sterk naar voren in een partituur die het Venetiaanse theater veel van de vernieuwende elementen bracht die in zwang waren op de Parijse operapodia. Op basis van klassiek Grieks mythologisch materiaal maakte Mayr een opera vol kleur, waarbij hij instrumentale intermezzo's en dansen verweefde in zijn aria's, cavatina's en koren, en zo zijn eigen, zeer persoonlijke visie op de nieuwe Italiaanse opera seria creëerde.

Mayr:
 Telemaco nell'isola di Calipso

"There are some beautiful arias and cavatinas as well as duets, and the performance is delightful throughout. Markus Schäfer is very much the authoritative figure and Andrea Lauren Brown is convincingly nasty in much of her recitative. Franz Hauk’s harpsichord accompaniment is sensitively played and the two choirs give pleasing substance to the sound, as does the Concerto de Bassus."
Classical Ear - 24th March 2017 ****

"If you accept Telemaco primarily as a polished vocal-instrumental concert, there's plenty to enjoy...Franz Hauk directs his trim period band with style and affection...Of the soloists, the standout is Siri Karoline Thornhill...She despatches her coloratura with grace and panache, and characterises Telemachus's unenviable plight as much as Mayr's decorous idiom allowed."
Gramophone MagazineJuly 2017