George Bernard Shaw
described one of Spohr’s compositions
as "a shining river of commonplaces,
plagiarisms and reminiscences".
His terms are fierce, and more than
a little unfair, but they do contain
- however intemperately - the truth
that Spohr’s work is not generally marked
by great originality or individuality.
Certainly these two concertos for clarinet
are enjoyable, relatively undemanding,
listening but not over-rich in memorable
melodies or strikingly individual musical
moments.
When, at the age of
24, he came to write the first of the
two concertos recorded here, Spohr had
already written eight concertos for
violin (on which instrument he was,
of course, a great virtuoso) and several
for such instrumental combinations as
violin and cello and violin and harp.
This concerto in C minor begins with
an attractive and graceful slow introduction
and the second subject of the first
movement has about it a charming lyrical
quality. The second movement adagio
– in which the soloist is accompanied
only by violins and cello – contains
perhaps the loveliest of Spohr’s writing
for the instrument. Brunner captures
the beauty of this movement very well.
The third movement heavily involves
the wind instruments of the orchestra,
and the players of the Bamberger Symphoniker
do justice to Spohr’s writing. Just
when one is expecting a rousing conclusion,
the movement fades away to a quiet,
evocative close.
Spohr’s second Clarinet
Concerto was written for Germany’s first
music festival in Frankenhausen, in
the summer of 1810 and there is a good
deal of celebratory and festive music
in its opening movement. Trumpets and
drums get a good work-out and flute
and bassoon are foregrounded. The second
movement adagio is, like that of the
earlier concerto, in A flat major, a
key of which Spohr was evidently very
fond. The writing for the clarinet makes
delightful use of the instrument’s lower
register in some passages and elsewhere
demands rapid runs and leaps from the
soloist – all of which Brunner meets
without apparent difficulty. The finale
is marked ‘alla Polacca’ and begins
with timpani and horns before the clarinettist
enters. There is some technically very
difficult writing for the soloist to
negotiate in this third movement.
The variations on a
duet - "Euer Liebreiz, eure Schönheit"
- from one of Spohr’s operas (he wrote
thirteen), Alruna, again demand
much of the soloist’s technique; though
Eduard Brunner certainly has the necessary
instrumental certainty and control he
doesn’t altogether persuade one that
this is a piece of any enduring musical
interest.
These are accomplished,
professional performances of music which
is not quite of the very highest order,
though it certainly has its moments.
I have enjoyed listening to Brunner’s
Spohr; and no one would, I think, be
likely to regret the purchase of this
CD. If you already own one of the recordings
of these concertos by Karl Leister (on
Orfeo), Michael Collins (Hyperion) or
Ernst Ottensamer (Naxos), then you can
probably rest content with what you
have.
Glyn Pursglove
Eduard Brunner (clarinet) 
for
details
