Quatuor Ruggieri - George Onslow: String Quartets (2015) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. Quatuor No. 1 en Ut Mineur, Op. 8: I. largo-allegro agitato
02. Quatuor No. 1 en Ut Mineur, Op. 8: II. adagio
03. Quatuor No. 1 en Ut Mineur, Op. 8: III. minuetto allegretto
04. Quatuor No. 1 en Ut Mineur, Op. 8: IV. finale presto
05. Quatuor No. 3 en Mi Bémol Majeur, Op. 10: I. largo-allegro con brio
06. Quatuor No. 3 en Mi Bémol Majeur, Op. 10: II. andantino sostenuto
07. Quatuor No. 3 en Mi Bémol Majeur, Op. 10: III. minuetto allegro (air de danse des montagnes d'auvergne)
08. Quatuor No. 3 en Mi Bémol Majeur, Op. 10: IV. allegro vivace
09. Quatuor No. 3 en La Majeur, Op. 8: I. allegro
10. Quatuor No. 3 en La Majeur, Op. 8: II. andante non troppo lento
11. Quatuor No. 3 en La Majeur, Op. 8: III. minuetto allegro
12. Quatuor No. 3 en La Majeur, Op. 8: IV. finale vivace

Nicknamed 'France’s Beethoven', George Onslow, whose life (1784-1853) spanned the First Empire and the Restoration, popularised chamber music in France where hitherto it had been paid little attention. A contemporary of Berlioz and Paganini, Onslow used his influence to foster a musical genre that didn’t see its first performance in Paris until 1814 with the creation of a concert society by his close friend Baillot, the violinist. Among the many hundreds of works he wrote, his string quartets stand out for their originality, at times almost visionary but never less than breathtaking. From his earliest quartets (Opus 8, 9 and 10) on, Onslow displayed his powers of innovation both in subject and form, applying a particularly French style to the music and establishing it alongside the work of Mozart and Beethoven. By contrast, the virtuosity of Onslow’s work was distinctly Parisian in nature and brought an extra and spectacular dimension to its character.