Spohr: The Complete Works for Clarinet & Orchestra
1/20/2023, 15 Tracks, 1:57:00
Featuring
Simon Gaudenz
Christoffer Sundqvist
NDR Radiophilharmonie
Louis Spohr
Did you know?
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Performer Biography
Christoffer Sundqvist, the clarinetist on this album, is a leading figure in his generation and has had concertos written for him by contemporary Nordic composers like Esa-Pekka Salonen and Sebastian Fagerlund.
Composition History
Spohr's clarinet works were inspired by the virtuoso Johann Simon Hermstedt, who was considered "the most excellent of all clarinettists living today" in 1809.
Composer Biography
Spohr's first wife, Dorette Scheidler, was a highly regarded harpist and pianist, for whom he composed several pieces for harp, or for harp and violin.
Composer Biography
Louis Spohr wrote at least 10 violin concertos for himself, but none for piano or cello.
Compositional Technique
Spohr's First Clarinet Concerto features a novel approach to motivic material, using what would later be called motivic or thematic transformation to create varied expressive characters from a single motif.
Critical Reception
Spohr's Second Clarinet Concerto received mixed reviews, with some critics preferring the First Concerto and describing the Second as "somewhat cold and monotonous" or "too hybrid."
Composer's Artistic Vision
Louis Spohr always composed his solo concertos, and all his works for solo instrument and accompaniment, with a specific virtuoso in mind.
