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Bavarian-born Johann Simon Mayr achieved renown as an Italianate opera composer, his earlier work taking the form of sacred oratorios. Gioas is a combination of both forms, being a parody-oratorio closely following Mayr's opera I misteri eleusini, which was considered by Stendhal to be "among the most powerful musical works of the age". This mythical drama of kings, priests and goddesses was ideally suited for it's intended devotional use, and it joins other pioneering recordings from Franz Hauk which include David (8.570366-67) and Samuele (8.572721-22). 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 Johann Simon Mayr.