Louis Spohr

[edurban]

Yes, eccentric experiments are definitely part of Spohr's appeal.  How about that sonatina for tenor and piano?

From my point of view, Spohr may as well experiment in his symphonies, since he hasn't got the temperment for making a Big Symphonic Statement that explores the conflict inherent in contrasting ideas.  There's rarely serious contrast in his ideas to begin with, and the constant modulation (sometimes degenerating into mannerism) tends to undermine the feeling of key centers.  There is plenty of warm-hearted feeling without much, if any, violent emotion.  It's ironic that Spohr, a key figure in early Romanticism, was the least Romantic of any of his major contemporaries.  Accept Spohr for who he was, and not who he couldn't be, and you will be rewarded with music of unique personality, frequent inspiration and a good deal of charm.  God knows, it sounds like no one else's music.

David   

[chill319]

"Accept Spohr for who he was, and not who he couldn't be, and you will be rewarded with music of unique personality, frequent inspiration and a good deal of charm. "

Well said!

And yet in my first encounter with Spohr the symphonist some years ago (a disc of symphonies 6 and 9 by the Bavarian RSO under Rickenbacher) I got the impression that the music was being played in a uniformly bland, Beidermeierisch manner simply because the name on the cover was Spohr rather than, say, Schumann (and the last movement of 6 sounded surprisingly Schumannesque to my untutored ears). That impression was reinforced when shortly afterward I heard a stirring performance of Die letzten Dinge (the one with the Frankfurt Symphony and Frankfurt-Marburg Chorus under Heinrich).

Now I'm wondering if those who have listened to more Spohr than I have a different impression of the Bavarian/Rickenbacher disc? Or, more generally, if there are recent performances of Spohr symphonies that sound committed?

[edurban]

I also bought that Rickenbacher disc, and I (already a big Spohr fan) was so disappointed & frustrated: flabby rhythms, flattened out dynamics, dull tempos...all life and spirit drained out.  The thing is awful.  I could feel the music straining to break loose.  I wanted to hear -and would still like to hear- a really bracing performance on period instruments.

Now we are spoiled for choice, with 2 complete symphony sets underway.  I'm collecting Howard Shelley's on Hyperion and it's terrific.  Rickenbacker I threw out.

A side note on Spohr & period instruments.  I love the tang of old winds and especially the wild, outdoors quality of natural horns and trumpets.  These instruments unbutton Spohr a bit, add a bracing roughness to his orchestration.  Others may disagree, but I find the sound of the Brandenburg Orchestra in Elizabeth Wallfisch's recording of the 8th violin concerto ideal (also on Hyperion.)

David

[John H White]

It could be argued that Beethoven was being a bit experimental in his 6th and 9th symphonies, but I for one wouldn't be without them. Likewise with Spohr; I would not want to be without his 4th 6th and 7th symphonies, even though I do not find them quite so satisfying as a whole as his more"orthodox" ones. Indeed, while the more conservative British audiences tended to stick with Spohr's 1st two symphonies, in Continental Europe and America his 4th symphony was the most widely played during his own lifetime.

[edurban]

"...in Continental Europe and America his 4th symphony was the most widely played during his own lifetime."

John, a quick look at the New York Philharmonic website archive (imperfect as it is) certain confirms this.  Although the NYP has performed Spohr Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9, #4 sweeps the board with nine complete performances, beginning in 1846.  The last time it was played by NYP was Dec.6, 1890 at the old Metropolitan Opera house under Theodore Thomas.

Spohr was no rarity on the orchestra's programs.  The site shows 5 performances of vc #8 (including Wieniawski's in 1873) and there may have been more as the tally (as far as I know) is based on surviving programmes in the orchestra's archive.  These are far from complete in the early years.  The orchestra has also performed vc#9 five times, the last time under Barbirolli & Erica Morini in 1941.  There was even a performance of the Quartet Concerto in 1858 with members of the redoubtable Mollenhauer family as soloists.

David

[Jonathan]

Hi All,
I heard a few pieces by Spohr on Radio 3 when he was composer of the week a few weeks ago and I was impressed on the whole with what I heard.  I hope to seek out some more at some point and discover more things I like!

[John H White]

Many thanks, David, for those interesting facts about Spohr performances by the NYP. I'm not surprised that they didn't bother with No 6 which might be said consisted of Spohr dressing up in various earlier composers clothes which didn't really fit him; also No 8 was geared to the very conservative English market who had hitherto only taken to Nos 1 & 2 . However, what a treat those 19th Century New Yorkers missed in never having the chance of hearing No 5, arguably Spohr's finest symphonic work!
     Jonathan, I'm glad to hear you liked what you heard on Radio 3. I would say for melodiousness the Nonet in F Op 31 takes a lot of beating, not forgetting its companion piece, the Octet Op 32. The works for violin and harp which he wrote to perform with his harpist 1st wife Dorrette are also well worth hearing and can be found on 2 Naxos CDs.
   there are also 36 string quartets to choose from and the Marco Polo label has been slowly plodding through them for the past 20 years! His 5 piano trios are all available under the Naxos Label: I particularly recommend Nos 1, 3 & 5, the first of which Spohr's great friend Mendelssohn played the piano part. All 17 violin concertos, including, of course the notorious No 8, written specially for the Italian market, are available now as a set from CPO. I particularly like nos 9, 10 and especially 14, with its obliggato side drum.
     

[John Hudock]

There is a great deal of very enjoyable music.  Marco Polo did series a few years ago of all the symphonies, violin concertos and chamber music (including string quartets, piano trios, string quintets, double string quartets and a piano quintet). The clarinet concertos are also available on Naxos.

It's been awhile since I've listened to any of it, but I remember being quite impressed by a lot of it when I did and frequently thinking (as I've noticed is a common thread here) "How is this stuff not better known?".

My long held theory (offered without any scientific study and based purely on anecdotal evidence :-) is what I call the "Rule of 3". People seem to have a capacity to focus on 3 composers per period/style: Bach-Handel-Vivaldi, Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven, Schubert-Mendelssohn-Chopin, Brahms-Schumann-Liszt, Wagner-Bruckner-Mahler, etc... If you're not in the top 3 then move along, nothing to see here. So all resources go to Beethoven and the composers that Beethoven admired: Hummel, Spohr, Cherubini, are left to the die-hard collectors who want to hear all the interesting music, not just the greatest of the great. It's due, I think, to a combination of limited time and limited attention span. Even folks like us (and I listen to music most of the day at work, via headphones attached to my computer which plays mp3s stored on a portable usb drive) can't possible listen to each of these works more than once or twice. I may have listened to dozens of recordings of Beethoven's symphony cycle dozens of times, but if I want to increase breadth I necessarily have to decrease depth. So I've listened to all the Spohr symphonies, violin concertos and quartets once, a few of the two or three times. I remember thinking favorably about them, but except for certain pieces that grab you immediately, it's difficult to find time to listen to them more often. And as has been pointed to many times in my recent reading of the forums here, your perspective frequently changes after a second or third listening, but unless something grabs you right away, you're not likely to dedicate the time to a more detailed hearing, especially when there's a wonderful new performance of the Bach B Minor Mass.

Anyway that's the great thing about this forum. Introducing us to new works or perhaps getting us to give that piece by Spohr or Hummel or Raff a second or third listen.

[Pengelli]

I've got some off R3 air cassettes of Spohr symphonies in a cardboard box somewhere,underneath some boxes of ye olde incandescent bulbs! I'll have a look later & see what I think