Spohr: String Quartets op.15-2/op.29-1 (1984): Amati Quartet Amati String Quartet Please take a look at my other listings as well. #taraclassical Louis Spohr (1784-1859), who captivated all of Europe as a violinist and conductor, wrote 48 works for string ensembles during his lifetime. Spohr was born in Braunschweig, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in 1784. He showed talent for violin playing from an early age and began composing in the early 1790s. In 1799, he obtained a position in the court orchestra at the age of 15. Three years later, he went to St. Petersburg for a year to study under the violin master Franz Anton Eck. His first famous works, including Violin Concerto No. 1, were born during this period. Upon his return to his home country, he received a leave of absence from the Duke for concert tours, and in December 1804, he went to Leipzig to give a concert. At this concert, Spohr's excellent violin skills, as well as his outstanding compositional ability, impressed the influential music critic Friedrich Rochlitz. The success of this concert made Spohr famous in the German-speaking music world overnight. After that, Spohr was appointed as the court conductor of Gotha, and he stayed there from 1805 to 1812. There, he met and fell in love with Dorette Scheidler, an 18-year-old harpist, and they married on February 2, 1806. In 1808, he met Beethoven in Vienna and participated in the rehearsal of the Ghost Trio. From 1813 to 1815, he stayed in Vienna and served as the conductor of the Theater an der Wien. His friendly relationship with Beethoven continued, and he participated in the premieres of his Symphony No. 7 and Battle Symphony. Spohr also formed a violin and harp duo with his wife and toured Italy, England, and gave successful concerts in Paris in 1821. From 1817, he became the opera director of the Frankfurt Opera House, and in Vienna, he was able to stage his first opera, Faust, which had been rejected for performance due to a dispute with the theater owner. From 1822, at Weber's suggestion, he was able to obtain the position of court conductor in Kassel, which he held until his death.