Onslow: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

Chronique

Contemporary with Berlioz, Cherubini, and Gossec, Georges Onslow contributed to the small body of French symphonies at a time when opera reigned supreme in Paris and the influence of Beethoven was only beginning to be felt. In Onslow's hands, the Classical form undergoes Romantic expansion and heightened drama, though not as extreme as Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, the sensation of 1830. Onslow's Symphony No. 1 in A major, Op. 41, was premiered the same year to glowing praise, and found favor across Europe afterwards as a model of style and melodic elegance. But growing comprehension of Beethoven's and Berlioz's innovations soon made Onslow's music seem passé, even to his admirers. The Symphony No. 3 in F minor of 1834 addresses this situation with greater theatricality and a fuller use of orchestral resources, taking the symphony further still from Haydn and Mozart in its scope, emotionalism, and power; in time, Onslow earned approval from Berlioz for its brilliance. The NDR Radio-Philharmonie, directed by Johannes Goritzki, presents both symphonies with fine articulation, fresh timbres, and symphonic propulsion, and show that these neglected works hold up quite well in comparison with almost any other French symphony of the time. CPO provides clear and balanced sound.

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