Presented by Leo Samama.
Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826) is considered to be the Basque Mozart. Barely fifteen years old, he was, as a student, put under the guard of Cherubini and the famous music theorist Fétis after he moved from Bilbao to Paris. During his studies he composed three string quartets and a symphony a.o. He died in 1826 by exhaustion and pneumonia; he was only nineteen years old. In the Tres cuartetos para dos violines, viola y violonchelo we recognize a young and passionate composer who must have studied the repertoire of his time very well.
Compared to the short life of Arriaga, George Onslow (1784-1853), son to English migrants, did not only live long, but also in great wealth, which gave him the opportunity to build up an oeuvre carefree, characterized by an opulence in chamber music works. He studied with Reicha in Paris. The French like to claim him as ‘their’ Beethoven, but his music was hardly influenced by Beethoven. Onslow was particularly raised with the French ‘quatuor concertant’ and with the opera, of which the impact can be heard in the Quartet in C major (opus 47).
Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga – String quartet no.3, in E-flat major (1823)
1. Allegro, 2. Pastorale. Andantino, 3. Menuetto. Allegro, 4. Presto agitato
Performers: Quatuor Sine Nomine
CD: Claves
George Onslow – String quartet in C major, opus 47 (1832)
1. Lento-Allegro, 2. Menuetto, 3. Andante, 4. Presto
Performers: Mandelring Quartett
CD: CPO
Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga – String quartet no.2, in A major
Menuetto. Scherzo (2:59)
Performers: Quatuor Sine Nomine
CD: Claves
