Onslow, Dancla, Rode - String Quartets (1995)

These string quartets belong to the 'quatuor brillant' idiom, a synthesis of violin concerto and string quartet.
Onslow completists will want the only recording of his op. 48, but expectations should be kept low. Besides its strong "Scherzo" and Mendelssohnian "Finale," the quartet is short, drama-free, and not very memorable.
Charles Dancla admired Paganini and indulges pyrotechnics in his String Quartet No. 8 in G major op. 87 (1858). This is an excellent work with a sublime slow movement and a perpetual motion finale of extreme bravura for the 1st violin; Paganini fans will enjoy it.
Pierre Rode's 'Quatuor brillant' No. 2 in C major is an amalgam of classical aesthetics with virtuoso violin writing, featuring wide leaps and florid lines evocative of Spohr.
Quatuor Debussy delivers satisfying and technically competent performances.
Recorded sound is just fine for a 1995 release from an obscure label.