Spohr: Double String Quartet no. 1, op. 65; Mendelssohn: String Octet, op. 20

The two chamber works paired on this 2003 disc from Camerata, Louis Spohr's Double Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 65 (1823), and Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E flat major, Op. 20 (1825), are worth comparing for their similarities, but their contrasting features are more interesting to examine. Although both works were composed for four violins, two violas, and two cellos, Spohr divides this instrumental body into two antiphonal quartets, one highly active and virtuosic, the other purely accompanimental; Mendelssohn -- well aware of Spohr's novel approach -- interweaves eight more or less equal parts into a thoroughly developed, quasi-symphonic texture. Secondly, while both pieces were composed almost contemporaneously, and share the mellow, gemütlich style of music associated with the Biedermeier period, Spohr's work is obviously more experimental and anticipates the "age of the virtuoso" more than Mendelssohn's conservative work, which lacks flashiness and pursues instead a more balanced,...