The symphonies of Louis Spohr have long suffered from neglect, and their assimilation into the modern repertoire has only been gradual, with occasional performances and recordings that appeal most to connoisseurs of German symphonic music, but are never really absorbed into the mainstream. Aside from
Alfred Walter's recordings on Marco Polo in the 1980s, the main contemporary efforts to put Spohr's symphonies on CD have come from
Howard Shelley on Hyperion and
Howard Griffiths on CPO, and the two would appear to be in competition, but for the fact that their releases tend to overlap, rather than coincide; listeners who find Spohr albums scarce can only be glad to find one or the other, whenever available. When
Shelley recorded the Symphony No. 2 in D minor, he paired it with the Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, so his cycle at least had the benefit of starting off with two early works in close proximity.
Griffiths, on the other hand, has mixed things up a bit by releasing an early symphony with a late one, which affords listeners a chance to compare the two for changes in style, development, and emotional content. This second volume of
Griffiths' series offers the aforementioned Symphony No. 2 and the Symphony No. 8 in G major, with the Concert Overture, "Im ernsten Stil," included as filler. Fans of Spohr's music will accept the symphonies any way they come, and considering their scarcity, having them in the vibrant and spacious hybrid-SACD format is a bonus. The performances by
Griffiths and the
NDR Radio Philharmonic are technically precise and expressively appropriate, offering both Classical grace and Romantic ardor, and a combination of charm and energy is balanced in the playing. Spohr's characteristic lyricism and playfulness come through in these engaging performances, and even the fairly predictable overture is likable for its elegant melodies and development.