Search - Franz Schubert, Louis Spohr, Vienna Octet :: Schubert, Spohr: Octets / Wiener Octet

OLD FAVOURITE, NEW NONENTITY

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 02/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Schubert's octet was made in 1958, that of Spohr's in 1959. I bought the LP of the Schubert as soon as I first saw it reviewed, and I own it to this day. It was a favourite of mine from the first time of putting it on the turntable, and it is a favourite still, which is not something I could say of all my early choices, much though I agonised over them and budgeted for their purchase. This is a heavenly piece of music, and a heavenly performance of it. The recording, which was good for its time, seems to have been freshened up a little. No dramatic improvements in the sound-quality were needed, and thankfully the producers have not tried to be clever in any unwanted ways. Schubert's octet is a miracle of instrumental sound. It shows an acute sense for the distinctiveness of the three wind-instruments in particular - even Tovey, for whom Beethoven possessed attributes more commonly ascribed to deity than to composers, says with admirable candour that Schubert understood the clarinet better than his idol did. You will find all Schubert's little marvels of tone-colour presented with a natural and unforced understanding in this performance - the clarinet melody in the adagio when the key changes and the music suddenly seems deeper in mood and more formidable, the violins in the theme of the andante, the theatre-orchestra effect in the introduction to the last movement, and above all the celestial tune of the minuet's trio section with its wonderful scoring for violin and bassoon. The tempi are absolutely right from beginning to end also, and one has the sense that this Vienna Octet were born and destined to perform this most Viennese of all composers.



Spohr's octet is new to me, although I own a fine performance on vinyl of his nonet. The octet doesn't seem to me the equal of that work, which is in effect for a mini-orchestra. Still less is it any kind of rival to Schubert's octet. It is a much smaller effort for one thing, and I don't find myself particularly convinced by the experiment it represents in scoring and tone-colouring. The instrumentation is for violin, two violas, cello, double bass, two horns and clarinet. I must say that sounded promising, and I expect it would have fulfilled its promise if the composer had been Schubert or Brahms or Strauss. From Spohr the effect disappointed me, and I'm convinced that's the fault of the work itself and not of the players who give it every last ounce of t-l-c. I surmise it wouldn't sound much different if rescored for, say, double string quartet like Mendelssohn's octet. Spohr was compared by Tovey with Hummel to the latter's disadvantage, but I'd have to say that my own experience of both (admittedly limited) would lead me to the opposite view. Still less do I understand at this late date how Spohr came to be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest by W S Gilbert - `...masses and fugues and ops,/And Bach interwoven/With Spohr and Beethoven/At classical Monday pops.' Nevertheless as a novelty extra with a performance of Schubert that I would have had to own at any price I suppose it's very welcome, and the recording is up to that of Schubert's too.



The liner-note is sound, workmanlike and relevant, which is more than I can often say. The front of the leaflet shows the original members of the Vienna octet in one of those group poses that no group ever adopted in real life. The back of the leaflet has, I am delighted to say, the picture that has been on the sleeve of my LP for the best part of 50 years, so that will ease the pain of parting with it now that it has become supernumerary."