Spohr: String Quintet in E flat, Op. 33/1; String Quintet in G, Op. 33/2

These first two among Spohr’s seven string quintets were written at the instigation of the former violinist Johann Tost, for whom Haydn had composed 12 of his great quartets some 25 years earlier. The first in the pair, in E flat, has an opening theme in bare octaves, recalling the beginning of Mozart’s Quartet in the same key, K428; and the opening stage of its recapitulation strikingly unfolds in C minor – the key of the fine slow movement to come.

Our rating

3

Published: January 20, 2012 at 1:16 pm

COMPOSERS: Spohr
LABELS: Naxos
WORKS: String Quintet in E flat, Op. 33/1; String Quintet in G, Op. 33/2
PERFORMER: Danubius Quartet; Sándor Papp (viola)
CATALOGUE NO: 8.555965 Reissue (1994)

These first two among Spohr’s seven string quintets were written at the instigation of the former violinist Johann Tost, for whom Haydn had composed 12 of his great quartets some 25 years earlier. The first in the pair, in E flat, has an opening theme in bare octaves, recalling the beginning of Mozart’s Quartet in the same key, K428; and the opening stage of its recapitulation strikingly unfolds in C minor – the key of the fine slow movement to come. For the rest, this is amiable, easygoing music, and its lack of drama or tension isn’t helped by the Danubius Quartet’s sweet-toned but somewhat undercharacterised performances. Misha Donat

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