Elan Quintet - Onslow: String Quintets, Vol. 3 – Nos. 28 & 29 (2018) [Hi-Res]

As a pianist and cellist Georges Onslow had a particular affinity with chamber music, and his String Quintets are given an almost orchestral quality with their addition of the rich sonorities of a double bass. String Quintet No. 28, with an especially beautiful Adagio with more than a trace of the influence of Mendelssohn, combines Baroque poise with expressive Romantic writing, while String Quartet No. 29 is light-hearted and good-natured, with hints of Schubert in its melancholy lyricism and unexpected key changes. In praising the Elan Quintet’s first volume (8573600) a MusicWeb International reviewer declared, ‘I cannot fault their playing: their tonal quality is ravishing, their ensemble perfect’.