Onslow’s String Quintets. Expression of Elegance

ONSLOW, G.: String Quintets, Vol. 2 - Nos. 10 and 22

8.573689

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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’.

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ONSLOW, G.: String Quintets, Vol. 1 - Nos. 20 and 26

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“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.”
– Gramophone

“The group’s performance here captures the subtle shades and shifting dynamics with great lyricism: sagacious, thoughtful and expressive. The recording, made in the thoughtful and expressive Auditorio de Rafelbunyol in Valencia, is very warm and detailed.”
– International Society of Bassists Magazine

“The performances by the Elan Quintet are outstanding—brilliant playing all
around, really.”
– Fanfare

“Onslow is a composer of imagination and beauty, and these are highly interesting and worthwhile works.”
– American Record Guide

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About Elan Quintet

“Our journey through Onslow’s string quintets has generated a passion in all of us for these truly beautiful but relatively unknown works. The F minor quintet has an especially interesting story. At the London première of this particular quintet, the famous double bassist Domenico Dragonetti had to substitute for the second cellist at the very last minute, and from that point onward, forever endeared Onslow to the double bass. This pivotal moment has provided the double bass with a trove of chamber music treasures and we are delighted to be able to take part in the world première recording of both of these two works.”

– Elan Quintet

The combination of string quartet with double bass has opened up a richness of tone and distinct soundscape that the Elan Quintet has dedicated to exploring, working with contemporary artists in creating new works for quintet, and rediscovering neglected works by composers including Onslow and Bridge. Founded in 2014, the quintet have collaborated with GRAMMY® Award-winning Argentinian composer Claudia Montero for her recording Irremediablemente Buenos Aires as well as for clarinetist Joan Enric Lluna. They have also collaborated with composer and flamenco jazz pianist Alex Conde Carrasco for the creation of new flamenco compositions in a classical quintet setting.

For more information, visit www.elanquintet.com.

ONSLOW, G.: Cello Sonatas, Op. 16, Nos. 1-3

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“Strongly committed and highly expressive performances.”

– BBC Music Magazine ★★★★

BRAHMS, J.: Piano Quartet No. 2 / MAHLER, G.: Piano Quartet

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“Performances of both works here are very well done. There’s less competition in the Mahler, of course, than there is in the Brahms, but if the pairing of these two works appeals to you, the playing and recording are equal to the best I’ve
heard… Recommended.”

– Fanfare

BEETHOVEN, L. van: String Quintets, Opp. 29 and 104 / Fugue, Op. 137

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“The highly experienced Fine Arts Quartet (and their guest) represent a style of string playing that places great stress on beautiful, rich tone. Beethoven’s challenging, wonderfully imaginative writing…is realised in a way that always sounds rounded and well balanced.”

– Gramophone

MENDELSSOHN, Felix: String Quartets, Vol. 3

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“The New Zealand String Quartet plays with a great deal of panache. There’s buoyancy, sparkle, and wit in these performances, not to mention engagement on an emotional level without affectation... Strongly recommended.”

– Fanfare