The cover painting for this album, 'Bacchus and Ariadne,' was created by Sebastiano Ricci, an Italian painter from the Baroque period.
Composer Biography
Simon Mayr, the composer, held the positions of maestro di cappella and director of the cathedral choir school at Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo from 1802 until his death in 1845.
Composer Biography
Simon Mayr, the composer, was a teacher to Gaetano Donizetti, a prominent Italian opera composer, and promoted the music of Viennese classical composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in Italy.
Composition History
Simon Mayr, the composer, tailor-made his cantata Arianna in Nasso for the Spanish soprano Isabella Colbran, whose expressive voice spanned almost three octaves.
Performer Biography
Isabella Colbran, the soprano for whom this cantata was written, was the star of Domenico Barbaia's opera company and later married Gioachino Rossini, the famous Italian composer.
Composer Biography
Simon Mayr, the composer, was born in Bavaria in 1763 and initially studied theology before beginning serious musical training in Italy in 1787.
Recording & Production
The Simon Mayr Chorus and Ensemble, founded by Franz Hauk in 2003, specializes in historical performance techniques and the vocal music of Simon Mayr.
