Louis Spohr: Mess Op.54 – Psalmen Op.85 – Kammerchor Stuttgart

   in Choir & Organ (Jan, 2017)
Spohr, once so much better known, has become one of the largely forgotten composers of the first half of the 19th century when his oratorio The Last Judgement was a popular choice among choral societies. This present disc programmes a cappella settings by Spohr: his C minor Mass, interspersed with three psalm settings in translations by Mendelssohn’s father. The Mass, richly scored for a quintet of soloists and two 5-part choruses, is an attractive composition dating from 1821 in which Spohr’s natural chromatic harmony is allied to Palestrina-like counterpoint. The Psalms op.85 (psalms 8, 23 and 130) are the jewels on this CD – remarkable settings that reveal Bach’s influence. …