Onslow, despite his British-sounding name, was a native of Auvergne, France, born in Clermont-Ferrand to a Londoner father and a French mother.
Interpretation
The Quatuor Ruggieri performs George Onslow's music on gut-stringed instruments to achieve an authentic sound, bridging the classical and romantic periods.
Performer Biography
The Quatuor Ruggieri was founded in 2007 by musicians from the Baroque music ensemble 'Les Talens Lyriques' to explore classical and romantic music on period instruments.
Compositional Technique
Onslow's early works, like the Opus 3 trios, show a mix of styles and structural experimentation, sometimes including a 'movement within a movement' that disrupts formal logic.
Composer Biography
George Onslow (1784-1853) was known as the 'French Beethoven' and championed chamber music in France, a genre previously seldom heard there.
Composer Biography
Onslow was a self-taught composer who learned by copying works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and later received lessons from the Czech musician and theorist Reicha.
Compositional Technique
Onslow was an early exponent of chromaticism, often creating 'quasi-dysfunctional sequences' that made it difficult to pinpoint the exact tonality, anticipating later composers like Wagner.
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Volkmann: String Quartets Nos. 2-5
Onslow: Nonet in A Minor, Op. 77 & String Quintet No. 19 in C Minor, Op. 44
