• A champion of Haydn’s, Mozart’s and Beethoven’s chamber music, Louis Spohr also made a considerable contribution to this genre, composing 36 string quartets and four double quartets, these latter unique in the repertoire.

• Spohr harnessed the potential of eight string players, mainly deployed as two groups of four, to create attractive pieces rich in antiphonal interplay, brimming with engaging melodies and shimmering with a high polish.

• The first, from 1823, pays tribute to Spohr’s idol Mozart, while the second, from 1827, integrates the players into a more evenly balanced whole.