Louis Spohr, like Beethoven, wrote nine symphonies. (Actually, he wrote a tenth but was dissatisfied with it and withdrew it; it’s heard occasionally.) As with Beethoven, his Fifth is a stormy work in C minor. It’s my favorite of his symphonies.
Is this symphony really in C minor? The first movement begins and ends in C major, and the symphony ends in that key. The slow introduction presents a lyrical theme that doesn’t suggest any storms at first. This is what I’ll call the “peace” theme, conveying a message of calm against a sea of troubles. In the seventeenth measure, staccato triplets intrude, the mode becomes minor, and the tempo accelerates. At the start of the Allegro, the key signature becomes C minor, and the conflict is fully underway. The first theme is full of tension; the second is in E-flat major but is very hesitant.
The development tears the first theme into smaller chunks, but then the “peace” theme returns, now in 9/8 time. The woodwinds try to bring some peace, but the strings remain agitated and drive the winds’ theme away. Then the roles are reversed, with the strings taking up the peaceful cause and the winds making nervous complaints.
The recapitulation presents the first theme in a compressed form. The key changes to C major for the second theme, but it’s as halting as before. The coda returns to C minor, though the last chord of the movement is C major. In spite of the start and end, C minor dominates this movement.
The second movement starts in a calmer mood, in A-flat major. There’s even a hint of the “peace” theme. But the second section goes into the minor and — wait, haven’t we heard this before? This music is disturbingly reminiscent of the Sinfonia from Die letzten Dinge. Is the end of the world coming? The first theme returns, but the minor theme intrudes into its accompaniment. The ominous dotted rhythm persists into the last few measures, though it’s deflected into the major.
The Scherzo is in a nervous C major. The trio is lighter and is scored mostly for the woodwinds. The return of the first part seems it will end quietly, but two fortissimo chords finish the movement.
The fourth movement is back in C minor. It starts off pianissimo, but more nervous than ever, with a tempo marking of Presto. It’s a kind of desperate dance, never stopping to relax. The secondary theme is the “peace” theme from the first movement, with syncopated rhythms making it both more nervous and more dance-like than before. The coda stays in the major mode, and the peace motif starts to soar. Occasional A-flats intrude nearly all the way to the end, though. The music seems to be saying that the light has the upper hand — but for how long?
Spohr’s 5th is an important symphony which has suffered undeserved neglect.
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