Samuele (Oratorio)

Influential, popular and prolific in his day, Bavarian born Simon Mayr left his mark in providing a bridge between Northern classicism and the bel canto of Italy, his adopted country of residence. The oratorio Samuele deals with the calling of Samuel as a prophet, and was written in 1821 for the consecration of Pietro Mola as Bishop of Bergamo. Mayr set his oratorio to the Poesia of one of his pupils, Bartolomeo Merelli, the collaboration resulting in a fascinating work which combines theology with dramatic innovation such as the use of 'melodrama' or spoken text. Since 1982 Franz Hauk has served as organist, and since 1995 as choirmaster, at the Cathedral in Munster. Since 2002 he has taught historical performance practice and church music at the Munich State Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munchen. He has done much to foster a revival of interest in the composer Simon Mayr.