Presents
George Onslow
Piano Trio No.1 in A Major, Op.3 No.1
Onslow’s Piano Trio No.1 in A Major, Op.3 No.1 is the first of a set of three which were dedicated to his sometime teacher and friend, the touring concert pianist and composer Jan Dussek who returned to Paris in 1807. The trios were completed that year and were published by Pleyel in 1808. The fact that Dussek himself took part in their public performance helped to put the young composer's name on the map. Critics were impressed and the trios became quite popular and went through several editions. The trio opens with a lengthy introduction marked Introduzione, largo. It might well be argued that given its pace, the length of the introduction, this is actually the first movement. There a haunting and somewhat tense quality portending that something dramatic is coming. However, the Allegro vivace which follows is bright and upbeat seemingly unrelated to what has come before. It is almost as if Onslow had intended to trick the listener. The playful Menuetto Allegro has Haydnesque roots but is considerably updated blossoming with early Romantic melody. The finale, Pastorale, allegretto, has an elegant and graceful quality.
George Onslow (1784-1853) was held to be in the front rank of composers by such experts as Mendelssohn and Schumann, who freely compared his music that of Mozart and Beethoven and found them not to be wanting. Perhaps no composer more than George Onslow illustrates the fickleness of fame. Onslow was born and lived his entire life in France, the son of an English father and French mother. His string quartets, string quintets and piano trios were a constant feature of concert programs throughout the 19th century. Onslow’s writing was unique in that he was successfully able to merge the drama of the opera into the chamber music idiom perfected by the Vienna masters.
Onslow's works were published in different countries by different publishers and the editions were sometimes different. Our new edition is based the original Pleyel Paris edition of 1808. This is a very enjoyable trio to play and to hear. It would do well in concert as well as on the stands of amateurs.
Parts: $29.95
