We talk of the nine symphonies of Beethoven and Bruckner but what about the ten of Spohr? Howard Shelley and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana conclude their survey of his symphonies with two that push the boundaries of the genre itself. Both Nos 7 and 9 are programmatic works, something that Spohr along with Berlioz did much to champion. In the Seventh, titled ‘The earthly and divine in human life’ and inspired by a holiday in Switzerland, he uses not one but two orchestras to great colouristic effect. His Ninth explores that perennial favourite theme of composers from Vivaldi to Glazunov, the Seasons (though Spohr starts with winter rather than spring). As if that were not enough, Howard Shelley also offers the premiere recordings of a brief, powerful Introduzione and a triumphant, at times almost Rossini-ish,Festmarsch
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1Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 1No. 1. Winter. Allegro maestoso09:27
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2Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 1No. 2. Transition to Spring. L'istesso tempo00:48
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3Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 1No. 3. Spring. Moderato – Presto – Moderato06:23
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4Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 2No. 1. Summer. Largo06:48
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5Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 2No. 2. Introduction to Autumn. Allegro vivace00:38
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6Symphony No. 9 in B Minor, 'The Seasons', Op. 143, Pt. 2No. 3. Autumn. L'istesso tempo06:15
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7Symphony No. 7 in C Major, 'The Earthly and Divine in Human Life', Op. 121I. The World of Childhood. Introduzione. Adagio – Allegretto10:41
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8Symphony No. 7 in C Major, 'The Earthly and Divine in Human Life', Op. 121II. The Age of Passion. Larghetto – Allegro moderato10:43
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9Symphony No. 7 in C Major, 'The Earthly and Divine in Human Life', Op. 121III. Final Victory of the Divine. Presto – Adagio11:02
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10Introduzione in D Major, WoO 500:52
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11Festmarsch in D Major, WoO 305:27