Search - Louis Spohr, New Budapest String Quartet :: Spohr: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

Nice performance of nice music

chefdevergue | Spokane, WA United States | 04/28/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you want to know what was going on in European music outside Beethoven's sphere of influence, then you need to know the music of Spohr. Renowned during his lifetime (1784-1859) as a violin virtuoso (who stood in contrast to Paganini), he composed numerous works that were frequently performed. These days, he is known for a couple of the 16 violin concerti he composed. Occasionally one also hears one of Spohr's 9 symphonies or his clarinet concerti, but that is about it.However, even though he has fallen into obscurity these days, he was one of the major players in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. He followed in the classical tradition, putting him in contrast to Beethoven, but following in the footsteps of Haydn and Mozart. He was one of the leading conductors of the day, and in fact was one of the first to use a baton while conducting (for you violinists out there, he also developed the chin rest upon which we all now depend).Among his compositions were 36 string quartets, and if there is another collection of them available, I am not aware of it. In fact, Marco Polo only produced nine volumes of this collection, comprising 20 of the 36 quartets, and produced nothing else as far as I know. So if you want Spohr's quartets, this is as good as it gets. That is unfortunate, because although the New Budapest Quartet gives a nice performance, I guess I would have to describe it as a polite performance. It isn't bad, but it is not overly engaging. The music itself is nice to listen to, and is very well-made. For most people it would be wonderful ambiant music.Spohr is an important link between the composers that preceded him (Mozart & Haydn) and the important German composers that were coming into their own at the end of Spohr's life, such as Schumann & Brahms. As such, it is important to know his music if one wants to be truly well-versed in 19th century European music. Until a better collection of the quartets comes along, this is the collection to own."