Spohr: Symphonies Nos 3 & 6

'Howard Shelley has a strong feeling for the varieties and subtleties of Spohr's symphonic style … [Symphony no 3] The stormy Allegro bursts with energy and Shelley makes the most of a fine Larghetto and of a Scherzo with echoes of Mendelssohn as well as of Beethoven. Spohr's finale is given its full strength with thematic material that receives imaginative handling' --Gramophone

'The C minor Symphony No 3 … has an attractive slow movement, and a scherzo and trio that are woven together with considerable ingenuity. The slow introduction to the Overture from the oratorio The Fall of Babylon is impressive too' --BBC Music Magazine

'Howard Shelley and his admirable Italian players have reached a curious landmark in their continuing exploration of Louis Spohr's symphonies for Hyperion: the 'historical' sixth … It reflects Spohr's Mendelssohnian fascination with earlier music and his complete mastery of form' --The Observer

'These are lively performances of rewarding works by an unjustly neglected master of quintessentially Romantic music' --NewClassics.com