Presents
George Onslow
Viola Sonata No.3 in A Major, Op.16 No.3
Onslow's Sonata No.3 in A Major is the last of a set of three he composed in the early 1820's. It was dedicated to his friend and neighbor, the amateur composer Leonzzo de Leyva. Originally for cello, Onslow himself to increase the marketability of the works added a viola part in lieu of the cello, which works equally well. The well-known music critic and connoisseur Johann Friedrich Rochlitz reviewed the sonatas calling them highly original and deeply sensitive. The work opens with what Rochlitz called a Mozartean Allegro vivace. A short, but beautiful Adago follows. The finale, Agitato e molto espressivo recalls the style of Beethoven.
Perhaps no composer, more than George Onslow (1784-1853), illustrates the fickleness of fame. His chamber music was, during his own lifetime and up to the end of the 19th century, held in the highest regard, 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. Mendelssohn and Schumann both regarded Onslow’s chamber music on a par with that of Mozart. Haydn and Beethoven. Publishers competed to bring out his works. 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.
Parts $24.95
