Roaming the Romantic Period

The programme opens with Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, which he composed before reaching the age of twenty. He performed the solo part himself at the work’s premiere in Warsaw in March 1830. Although it was the first of his two piano concertos to be written, it was published second. The concerto brings together virtuosic piano writing and the lyricism and poetic quality that are so characteristic of Chopin. Pianist David Lively, joined by a quintet of string players, shows how effectively the work can be performed without a full orchestra.

George Onslow is now a largely forgotten composer of the early Romantic period, although he was highly regarded during his lifetime, particularly for his chamber music. Inspired by Mozart, Haydn and, above all, Beethoven, he was known to his contemporaries as ‘the French Beethoven’. Yet Onslow forged a distinctive musical voice of his own, bringing together the German Classical tradition, French elegance, Romantic expressiveness and rhythmic vitality. A fine illustration of this is his Second Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 16, composed in 1808 and performed here by cellist Emmanuel Jacques and pianist Maude Gratton.

Playlist

George Onslow (1784–1853)

1. Sonata for Cello and Fortepiano, Op. 16, No. 1
   • I. Allegro
   • II. Andante
   • III. Allegretto

Performers: Emmanuel Jacques (cello) and Maude Gratton (fortepiano)
(CD: Mirare, No. MIR192)

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

• I. Maestoso
• II. Larghetto
• III. Allegro vivace

Performers: David Lively, playing an 1836 Érard piano; Quatuor Cambini-Paris (Julien Chauvin and Karine Croquenoy, violins; Pierre-Éric Nimylowycz, viola; Atsushi Sakaï, cello); Thomas de Pierrefeu, double bass
(CD: Aparté, No. AP204)

Additional track:
John Field (1782–1837)
3. Nocturne in E minor

Performer: Bart van Oort (fortepiano)
(CD: Brilliant Classics, No. 92202/1)

Pictured: George Onslow (source: Wikipedia)