Spohr: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 10 - Howard Shelley

Howard Shelley’s fascinating discs of Spohr’s symphonies with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana have reignited interest in a composer who was once the most important in Europe, and particularly so in England, where he was worshipped by all of musical society.

Spohr’s Eighth Symphony is one of the composer’s more conservative experiments with the form. The Tenth is the composer’s final symphony and remained unpublished – languishing in the former Prussian State Library in Berlin for many years – until 2006. Both works bring unexpected pleasures. This is the penultimate volume of a series which as a whole is an important historical document of musical taste.

“These are clear, beautifully judged performances, and Shelley and his orchestra plead every case for these works, from the portentous opening Adagio of the Eighth Symphony, to its fleet-footed Trio...you'll find no better performances than these: expertly judged and well argued by Shelley and his team. Revealing and worth exploring.”

Classic FM - March 2011