Louis Spohr: 3 Sonatas for Harp and Violin – Masumi Nagasawa & Cecilia Bernardini

in 1805, the brilliant violinist Louis Spohr, 21 years young, was appointed concertmaster of the court orchestra in Gotha. At this time, he had already attracted attention as a composer, and during his years at the Gotha court, several works for harp were added, inspired by the young harpist Dorette Scheidler. Spohr described her playing, “I was so deeply moved that I could hardly hold back my tears and lost my heart.” To Dorette, whom he married soon after. Spohr then began writing virtuoso pieces that both would be able to play on future concert tours. Dorette Spohr played a single-pedal harp, like the one used for this recording. It is characterized by a silvery bright sound, and these works are among the last written for this instrument – the harp was given a double pedal shortly thereafter and became darker and fuller in sound.