Ernest Reyer

Reyer was a French composer of operas who, more importantly, served as a critic for a number of years with articles appearing in a number of French journals and papers. His operas included "Le selam," 1850, "La statue," 1861, "Maitre Wolfram," 1854, "Erostrate," 1862, "Sigurd," 1884, and "Salammbo," 1890. Note the years between the last two operas and "Erostrate." This relaxation in production occurred for two reasons. Reyer spent most of his time analyzing the works of other composers and he wanted to remain aloof from the trends in unworthy compositional practices. Reyer did not wish to become part of the trappings which he was critiquing. The last two operas, "Sigurd" and "Salammbo" were both close to his heart. The former was an encapsulation of the Nibelungen legends an idea which he discussed for years, and the latter was an adaptation from his friend Flaubert's novel of the same name. As a critic, Reyer advanced the works of Wagner, Gluck, Weber, Schumann and Berlioz. He became a close friend of Berlioz in Berlioz's last years. ~ Keith Johnson