"Louis Spohr was admitted to the court orchestra while still a teenager, and was to become the most famous German violinist of his time, legend claiming that he trained over two hundred violinists, composers and conductors.
As a composer Spohr had the misfortune of working at exactly the same time as Beethoven, and though his early works received much acclaim, they had fallen from fashion long before his death in 1859. His catalogue of works was enormous, and included many operas, nine symphonies, fifteen violin concertos, and a veritable deluge of chamber music. I think many musical commentators forget that Spohr’s Violin Concertos were highly attractive and included an element of Paganini’s outgoing virtuosity. Central movements are lyrical and overtly beautiful, with the technical pyrotechnics in the outer movements more integrated into the music than Paganini was to achieve. The three concertos here span the years 1816 to 1825, and point to the fact that, unlike Beethoven, Spohr’s style never developed. Yet hear these persuasive performances and you will regret their absence in the concert hall. The soloist is the young Dutch violinist, Simone Lamsma, who was educated and has built her career in the UK. She is ideal for Spohr, her ability to brush aside the difficulties removing any sense of strain and allows the lyric aspects to blossom. A fast vibrato, much in the French style and reflecting her famous mentor, Maurice Hasson, she here draws a honey tone from a gorgeous 1709 Carlo Tononi violin, the engineers capturing it’s beauty. Attentive and well balanced accompaniment comes from the Sinfonia Finlandia with their conductor, Patrick Gallois."
