In 2015, the Elan Quintet began a project with Naxos Records to record the cycle of 34 string quintets by the Anglo-French composer George Onslow (1784-1853). He is best known for a body of chamber music that follows the musical lineage of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. A master of the quintet medium, Onslow offered variations of ensemble to players, the two presented here being cast for string quartet and double bass. The tempestuous Quintet No. 23 in A minor is charged with almost ceaseless nervous energy and Schubertian lyricism. The mature Quintet No. 31 in A major is both subtle and elegant.
Onslow: String Quintets, Volume 4 – Elan Quintet
