Concertante for 2 Violins : Kraggerud, Bjora, Barratt-due / Co, Oslo Camerata

LOUIS SPOHR (1784-1859) : Concertos for Two Violins, Nos. 1 and 2

Concertante No. 1 in A major, Op. 48
Concertante No. 2 in B minor, Op. 88
Violin Duet in G major, Op. 3, No. 3

Henning Kraggerud and Oyvind Bjora (violins)
Oslo Camerata & Barratt Due Chamber Orchestra / Stephan Barratt-Due, conductor

Recorded 02/2008

Louis Spohr’s life-long artistic commitment to elegance, sturdy workmanship and emotional reticence has burdened him with a reputation as a nostalgic conservative. Yet his melodic mastery, delicately poised Classical sensibility and advanced treatment of harmony, are evident in the highly enjoyable music on this disc. Glittering solo passages and congenial interplay between the soloists characterise both the Concertanti, which pay tribute to the Baroque concerto grosso and look forward to the music of Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and Mahler, and the Duo, with its lively dialogues between equal partners. ( NAXOS )