More Spohr from Hyperion

[Alan Howe]

I see from Hyperion's website that Spohr's Symphonies 3 and 6 are scheduled for release in February...

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ym.asp?ym=2010_02

[edurban]

Joy!  Will we finally get a worthy recording of the "Historische" Symphony?!  The piece where Spohr impersonates Handel and various of his older contemporaries, and about which Schumann wrote so delightfully:  "He [Spohr} remains the master as we have always known him and loved him.  In fact, these forms to which he is not accustomed bring out his individuality even more strongly, just as one with a particularly characteristic bearing reveals himself most clearly when he assumes a disguise.  Once, when Napoleon went to a masked ball, he had been there hardly a moment before he...clasped his arms together.  Like a brush fire the cry spread throughout the hall,  'the Emperor'.  Similarly, when this symphony was played one could hear from every corner of the hall the sound 'Spohr' and again 'Spohr'.
Yummy, David

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear, I'm probably in a minority of one, but Spohr's forays into the 'characteristic' symphony just don't seem to me to be of anything more than historical interest (no pun intended). On the new CD Symphony No.3 is so much more interesting and worthwhile than No.6, which I'll be glad never to hear again, so vapid is it. As with the two previous issues in Hyperion's series, this is an excellently performed and recorded disc. Worth buying for the enjoyable and entirely typical No.3, but strictly for Spohr fans in respect of the musical curiosity that is No.6.
Now over to the experts - and the Spohr enthusiasts...

[Mark Thomas]

Welcome though this release is, I've plumped for the cpo series to replace the old Marco Polo cycle in my collection, so I'm passing on this one and will just download the Overture for 95p.