George Onslow - String Quartets Nos. 4, 6 & 12 (Quatuor Ruggieri)

Information

Composer: George Onslow

• (01) String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 8 No. 1
• (05) String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 10 No. 3
• (09) String Quartet No. 6 in A major, Op. 8 No. 3

Quatuor Ruggieri
Gilone Gaubert-Jacques, violin
Charlotte Grattard, violin
Delphine Grimbert, viola
Emmanuel Jacques, cello

Date: 2015
Label: Aparté
https://www.apartemusic.com/albums/onslow-quatuor-ruggieri/

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Review

Born in Clermont-Ferrand of Anglo-French parentage (his father was a maverick MP who fled England to avoid prosecution, his mother an Auvergne aristocrat), George Onslow (1784-1853) led something of a double life as gentleman farmer and prolific purveyor of chamber music. Admiringly dubbed ‘the French Beethoven’ in his lifetime, he rapidly fell out of favour after his death; and if he has a reputation today, it is for blandly euphonious neo-classicism.

For Robert Schumann, Onslow and Mendelssohn were the only contemporary composers of string quartets worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Beethoven. If Onslow is flattered by both comparisons, there is much appealing and expertly crafted music in these three quartets, published in 1814 and recorded here for the first time. His was an essentially easy-going temperament; and while Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven are the reference points, his music has little of their developmental rigour. Even when Onslow flirts with the darker side, as in the outer movements of the C minor Quartet, Op 8 No 1, jauntiness quickly intrudes. But he is a fluent master of varied quartet textures, with a nice feeling for harmonic surprise. Befitting a fine amateur cellist, he showcases his own instrument at moments such as the soulful bel canto duetting in the C minor Quartet’s Adagio. Other highlights include Op 10 No 3’s piquant rustic Minuet, with a Trio based on an Auvergne folksong, and the faintly exotic Andante of Op 8 No 3, where Spanish bolero rhythms and twanging guitars receive a civilising Gallic makeover.

Devoted Onslow advocates, the young French period-instrument Quatuor Ruggieri give lucid, rhythmically supple performances, graceful of phrase, crisp of conversational interplay. Their clean, ‘straight’ tone is warmed by a modest, selective use of vibrato. Except for the rather cautious-sounding Presto finale of the C minor Quartet, tempi and character seem shrewdly judged, whether in the relaxed, playful discourse of Op 8 No 3’s opening Allegro (sounding like a more compliant Haydn), the eager spring and snap of the minuets – each of them a scherzo in spirit – and the (by Onslow’s standards) explosive contrasts in the finale of Op 10 No 3. The ‘charm, fluidity, elegance and flair’ that the enthusiastic booklet-note writer finds in these quartets aptly summarises the Ruggieri’s delightful playing.

-- Richard Wigmore, Gramophone

More reviews:
https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/onslow-3/
https://www.amazon.com/Onslow-String-Quartets-George/dp/B00SZ0ONL4

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George Onslow (27 July 1784 – 3 October 1853) was a French composer of English descent. His wealth, position and personal tastes allowed him to pursue a path unfamiliar to most of his French contemporaries, and more similar to that of his contemporary German romantic composers. Onslow was a prolific composer of chamber music (including 36 string quartets, 34 string quintets and 10 piano trios). He also wrote four symphonies, four operas and other works for piano and strings. Esteemed by many of the critics of his time, his reputation declined swiftly after his death and has only been revived in recent years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Onslow_(composer)

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