MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: MDT AmazonUK AmazonUS

Louis SPOHR (1784-1859)
Overture, Der Zweikampf mit der Geliebten, WoO 50 (1810) [6:13]
Symphony No. 8 in G, Op. 137 (1847) [35:08]
Symphony No. 10 in E flat, WoO 8 (1857) [26:26]
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana/Howard Shelley.
rec. Auditorio Stelio Molo, Lugano, Switzerland, 12-16 April 2010 (Overture live)
HYPERION CDA67802 [68:10]

Experience Classicsonline


Hyperion continues its laudable Spohr recordings with this valuable release, which includes the first recording of an overture. Production values are of the very highest, and the Swiss orchestra plays magnificently. 

The disc begins with the overture, Die Zweikampf mit der Geliebten (“The Duel with the Beloved”). The E minor introduction is directly reminiscent of Haydn’s Sturm und Drang works; the main body adds dynamism to the drama. The plot - this was Spohr’s first opera to be produced - concerns a heroine who, Leonore-like, disguises herself as a man and is forced to fight a duel against the man she loves. At the last minute, the fight is averted and all ends happily. The performance here is the only one on the disc taken from a live event, and indeed seems imbued with a fine spirit of the moment.
 
The Eighth Symphony (1847) again begins with a slow introduction but here it is largely a compositional feint. The Eighth’s concerns are more of the sunshine variety - think Dvořák. There is a delightful fugato in the first movement, and Shelley has a wonderful way of following the ebb and flow of phrases throughout. Spohr introduced contrast during various transitional passages; the slow movement invokes Schumann in particular. Exquisitely sculpted by Shelley and his forces, it is pure joy. The Hyperion engineers are at the peak of their powers here, too. Counterpoint is perfectly layered reflecting true teamwork between Shelley and the recording team with textures marvellously balanced. Schumann again hovers over the Scherzo. There is an extended part for solo violin in the Trio, expertly given by the orchestra’s leader, Anthony Flint. The finale again gives great pleasure, not least the upward-moving fanfare motif that dominates, and which suits the horn so well. Shelley ensures that Spohr’s trills, which form an important part of the material, positively buzz with life.
 
The score of the Tenth Symphony was only published in 2006 - it had received its premiere in New York in 1998! Spohr himself had decided the work was not worthy of his previous efforts; he got as far as rehearsing it with the Kassel orchestra. What is interesting is that Spohr here is attempting a new concise mode of expression. A mere 26 minutes in duration, it is a model of restraint. In addition, it is the first of Spohr’s symphonies to be scored for valved brass instruments. He also includes a tuba in the line-up. The effect of the first movement is that of a master who has honed down his work, and the piece is all the stronger for it. The Larghetto makes no great demands on the listener. A seven-minute mini-ocean of repose, Shelley and his forces lavish all their affection on it. Particular mention should go to the eminently musical solo clarinettist. The playful silences of the Scherzo, along with the rustic woodwind pairings, all offer pleasure. Shelley finds rhythmic swing here; for the Trio, the word that springs to mind is “fluent”, both in terms of Spohr’s writing and for the performance. The freshness of the finale is beautifully caught.
 
In short, a fine, musical, superbly engineered disc that guarantees much pleasure.
 
Colin Clarke

see also review from Rob Barnett
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.