Presents
George Onslow
Piano Trio No.10 in f minor, Op.83
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 quartets to those 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 and 34 string quintets were a constant feature of concert programs throughout the 19th century, particularly in Germany, Austria and England where he was regularly placed in the front rank of composers. His work was admired by both Beethoven and Schubert, the latter modeling his own 2 cello quintet (D.956) on those of Onslow and not, as is so often claimed, on those of Boccherini. However, after the First World War, his music, along with that of so many other fine composers, fell into oblivion and up until 1984, the bicentennial of his birth, he remained virtually unknown. Since then, his music, to the delight of players and listeners alike, is slowly being rediscovered, played and recorded. 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.
Piano Trio No.10 was completed in 1852, the year before his death. It shows that even in old age, he had not lost his touch as this is a fine work deserving to be heard in concert. The opening Allegro pathetico is full of drama and excitement. It sounds almost Beethovian. A lengthy Adagio grandioso begins in a calm, reflective manner. There is a true sense of the valedictory. Onslow did not write a better slow movement for piano trio. A stunning and thrilling Scherzo comes next. The use of pizzicato in the strings is quite telling. The syncopated Finale races forward with determination. Again it is almost Beethovian but with Onslow’s highly effective use of chromaticism.
Parts: $29.95
