Emilie Mayer

Faust-Ouvertüre op. 46

The Neue Berliner Musikzeitung reported on June 2, 1881: "The well-known composer Emilie Mayer was honored by Princess Mestschersky with a splendid ornament for the dedication of the Faust Overture." Emilie Mayer had both her "Faust Overture for Large Orchestra," written in 1879, and the arrangement of the orchestral overture for piano four hands printed. This enabled her "Faust composition" to find its way into house music, where the piano was the center of attention. She dedicated both prints to the Russian princess who lived in Berlin. The idea of gaining publicity for her new work through printing and dedication worked out. Already in February 1881 there was the first performance of the Faust Overture in the capital of the German Empire by the "Berliner Sinfonie-Capelle". It was performed four times in Stettin; in the course of the winter it was acclaimed by concert audiences in Carlsbad, Prague and Vienna.