Throughout the 19th century, the chamber music of Georges Onslow (1784-1853) was afforded the same respect as that of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. According to one source, “his work was admired by both Beethoven and Schubert, the latter modeling his own 2 cello quintet (D.956) on those of Onslow and not, as is so often claimed, on those of Boccherini.” While Onslow was known as “the French Beethoven,” his string quartets/quintets fit neatly within the quatuor brilliants genre that arose from Louis Spohr. This type of string writing gives the first violin freer rein as a soloist; a concerto for violin and string quartet, in other words.
Georges Onslow (1284-1853) was the prime example of a highly talented composing nobleman who was fortunate never to have to fight for a living as a musician. Significantly, it is the chamber music that makes up the bulk of his work: 70 alone He has left string quartets and quintets. The fact that there are almost jewels among them, cpo proved a few years ago with a recording of the Mandelring Quartett.
Georges Onslow (1784-1853) was a highly respected and much-played composer of chamber music works in the 19th century. Hailing from the highest English aristocratic circles, he spent his life in France and was fortunate never to have to compose for his livelihood. His music was not only highly valued by Beethoven, and its originality and ingenuity also impressed one of the most ambitious young string quartets that we could win for our production of the quartets op. 9, 1 and 3 and op. 47: the Mandelring Quartett.
These very agreeable works will find immediately receptive ears among fans of early-romantic chamber music. And indeed, Georges Onslow was quite adept at writing for various chamber configurations 34 string quintets, 35 quartets, six piano trios, a sextet, septet, and nonet, and sonatas for piano, violin, cello, and numerous solo piano pieces.
"Georges Onslow is best known for a body of chamber music that follows the musical lineage of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. A master of the quintet medium, Onslow offered variations of ensemble to players, the two presented here being cast for string quartet and double bass. The tempestuous Quintet No. 23 in A minor is charged with almost ceaseless nervous energy and Schubertian lyricism; the mature Quintet No. 31 in A major is both subtle and elegant, with a brilliant assemblage of details such as walking bass and violin-cello duets."
It was Robert Schumann who praised the Anglo-French Georges Onslow, alongside Mendelssohn, as one of the successors to the chamber music legacy of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. His string quintets were intended for a market of cultivated amateurs, with parts for a second cello or bass. No. 10 in F minor, Op. 32 reflects Beethoven’s influence, its Sturm und Drang elements revealing a masterly balance between the stable and unpredictable. No. 22 in E flat major, lively and playful, offers an almost Schubertian songfulness. Of the first volume (8.573600) Gramophone wrote: ‘these five players make a beguiling case for this music’.
This unique collection features a representative selection of early Romantic piano quintets, ranging from the astronomically popular Trout Quintet by Schubert to lesser known works from Hummel, Ries, Cramer, Limmer, Dussek, and Onslow.
In the lush mosaic of Russian 19th-century music life, Franz Xaver Gebel (1787-1843) was a fascinating, if marginal tile. Born in Germany, Gebel emigrated to Moscow in the 1820s and there taught a generation of students, including Nicolai Rubinstein, while composing on the side. His chief role in Moscow was organizing chamber music concerts with the intention of elevating music taste in Russia. He impressed some pretty big names in the process, such as Borodin and Glinka. Gebel wrote eight quintets and the two selected for this recording are the best examples of his art currently on disc; if you're curious about him, this is the quintessential gateway. (Profil has followed up with recordings of some string quartets and the string quintet op. 27 , of which the latter is the better choice.)