Classical

Dec09

George Onslow Chamber Music - Trio Portici

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Record Label - Pavane: Rediscovering Belgian composers and combining tradition with an opening toward the future through creativity, flexibility and high standards.

Release date: 2012-08-25

The Romantic Chamber Music of George Onslow

Posted by Paul Ballyk on Dec 9, 2012 in Classical | 0 comments

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Two things struck me right away when I played this Pavane Records CD for the first time. One was how open, clear and warm the sonics were, with the instruments perfectly balanced and positioned in the sound space, and the other was the beautiful playing of Trio Portici. At some point, both of these impressions simply dissolved into my enjoyment of the music. I was listening to the Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 14 by French composer George Onslow (1784 – 1853).

During his lifetime, Onslow was commonly regarded as a composer of exceptional merit, whose chamber music especially was held in the highest regard. Both Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn considered it to rival that of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Sadly, Onslow’s music was eclipsed by that of these more illustrious composers, and for a very long time, was largely forgotten.

Virtually all of Onslow’s chamber music with piano came from early in his career, and the three works on this CD, the previously mentioned Trio, the Duet for Violin and Piano, Op. 115 and the Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 16/1 were written in 1818 and 1819. At that time, the French still held to the model that the purpose of string instruments in chamber music was to double and support the top and/or bottom piano line. Onslow wrote for musical partnerships of equals, a model exemplified by Beethoven that was the current practice in Germany. It was there that Onslow’s music had an eager audience while being largely ignored in France.

All three works, while of the classical period in derivation, foreshadow the expressiveness of the romantic era that was about to unfold. I particularly enjoyed the Piano Trio and the Cello Sonata, which deserve a very wide audience. With 36 string quartets, 34 string quintets, 10 piano trios and 6 violin sonatas to his credit, the chamber music of George Onslow offers the adventuresome listener a treasure trove to explore, and this Pavane CD is a perfect place to plunge in.