George Onslow: String Quintets, Opp. 38 & 67 (2006)

Although born in 1784, French composer George Onslow stands firmly on the early Romantic side of the late Classical/early Romantic divide. Although Onslow's approach to form clearly owes much to Mozart's example, his approach to content is just as clearly early Romantic in its orientation. Indeed, it could fairly be said that when it came to setting episodes from the composer's life in music, Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique has nothing on Onslow's String Quintet in C minor, Op. 38. Named "The Bullet" by the composer, it ... Read More

Although born in 1784, French composer George Onslow stands firmly on the early Romantic side of the late Classical/early Romantic divide. Although Onslow's approach to form clearly owes much to Mozart's example, his approach to content is just as clearly early Romantic in its orientation. Indeed, it could fairly be said that when it came to setting episodes from the composer's life in music, Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique has nothing on Onslow's String Quintet in C minor, Op. 38. Named "The Bullet" by the composer, it includes several explicitly programmatic movements, one called "Delirium" describing the agony felt by the composer after being shot in a hunting accident in waves of chromatic lines and another called "Convalescenza" describing his recovery to the quietly consoling strains of a lullaby. With instantly attractive melodies and immediately comprehensible structures, the only thing that stands between Onslow's quintets and popularity is the scoring for string quartet plus double bass -- a... Read Less