Two violas

During the Romantic period in France, George Onslow was one of the composers who took the Viennese legacy most seriously. While Méhul studied Beethoven’s orchestral works in depth, Onslow, familiar with the works of Haydn and Mozart, focused his ambition on the vast field of chamber music. In his string quintets with two violas, he enriched the traditional quartet balance, giving prominence to the middle voices and creating a darker, more substantial, almost orchestral texture. The Dutilleux Quartet and Marie Chilemme reveal a composer held in high regard by his contemporaries, one of the few French composers capable of rivalling the German school.