Georges Onslow: String Quintets 4 Nos. 23 and 31

Georges Onslow 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, with a brilliant assemblage of details such as walking bass and violin-cello duets.