The symphonies of Georges Onslow (1784-1853), rather than following the path blazed by countryman Hector Berlioz, instead adopt the German romantic style epitomized by Schumann...

The symphonies of Georges Onslow (1784-1853), rather than following the path blazed by countryman Hector Berlioz, instead adopt the German romantic style epitomized by Schumann and Mendelssohn. For example, the high-spirited Symphony No. 2, a smart and finely crafted work continuously self-propelled by busy string writing, presents a very Schumannesque profile (explicitly so in the scherzo), while the orchestration, with its bucolic woodwind writing, owes much to Mendelssohn. Symphony No. 4 immediately announces its weightier countenance with a powerfully portentous introduction reminiscent of Schubert. Onslow enlivens both the first movement and finale with skillful pacing and an unerring sense of dramatic timing, but it's the spiritually elevated adagio--the emotional center of the work--that remains most in the memory.


Johannes Goritzki's vibrant, enlivened conducting, and the Hanover Radio Philharmonic's enthusiastic playing certainly make a strong case for reviving this music, which lost its hold on concert programs in the wake of Beethoven's and Schubert's posthumous popularity. CPO's full-bodied, well balanced, and dynamically true recording impressively replicates the performers' joy of discovery. All devotees of late classicism/early romanticism should hear this disc.
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com