George Onslow - String Quintets Vol. 1 (Elan Quintet)

Information

Composer: George Onslow

• (01) String Quintet No. 20 in D minor, Op. 45
• (05) String Quintet No. 26 in C minor, Op. 67

Elan Quintet
Benjamin Scherer Quesada, violin
Lelia Iancovici, violin
Julia Chu-Ying Hu, viola
Dmitri Tsirin, cello
Matthew Baker, double bass

Date: 2016
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573600

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Review

Amateur chamber musicians will need no introduction to Georges Onslow. One of his 30-odd two-cello quintets usually gets pulled from the bag when a group is looking for something to play after the Schubert C major: not exactly a flattering comparison for any composer. These works are a slightly different matter. Apparently inspired by a meeting with Dragonetti, Onslow wrote four quintets with double bass, Op 67 among them, and authorised an optional bass part in several others – an option the Elan Quintet has taken here in Op 45.

And, it has to be said, these five players make a beguiling case for this music. Their ensemble sound is attractive: it is warm and slightly inward which, combined with the small-room acoustic, makes for a real chamber-music feeling. Listen to the tender, almost viola-like tone of Dmitri Tsirin’s cello in the Andante of Op 67 or leader Benjamin Scherer Quesada’s sweet, playful asides in the same work’s Scherzo. These sound like five individuals in conversation, never (as sometimes happens with these forces) a miniature string orchestra.

That intimate quality bathes both these essentially Classical (stylistically, they’re slightly closer to early Beethoven than Mendelssohn) works in an understated but unmistakably Romantic glow. The Elans are excellent both at capturing the sometimes guileless charm of Onslow’s ideas, and knowing when to let things darken: the solo bass opening of Op 45 is a proper Wolf’s Glen moment. Tempi are on the generous side, and if occasionally they feel a little underpowered, this is playing of great charm. Op 45 is a premiere recording, so Onslow fans needn’t hesitate. Newcomers, meanwhile, may find themselves quietly impressed – like Schumann, Chopin and Liszt before them – by what Onslow has to say.

-- Richard Bratby, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2016/Nov/Onslow_quintets_v1_8573600.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2016/Dec/Onslow_quintets_v1_8573600.htm
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.573600&languageid=EN

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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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http://elanquintet.com/

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