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SPOHR Piano Sonata. Rondoletto in G. ONSLOW Piano Sonata. Six Pièces. Toccata in C • Howard Shelley (pn) • HYPERION CDA 67947 (78:16)

Louis Spohr (1784–1859) wrote prolifically in practically every genre of his day; the one notable exception is solo piano music. The two works played here by Howard Shelley represent Spohr’s entire mature output for the instrument. The 1843 Sonata was written for his second wife, Marianne, and dedicated to Mendelssohn. Richard Wigmore’s notes describe it well: “it is music of gentle, unpretentious charm, and occasionally rather more than that.” The 1848 Rondoletto is a pleasant salon piece. Spohr’s exact contemporary George Onslow (1784–1853), the son of an Englishman, was born in France and spent time both there and in Germany; atypically for a Frenchman, he wrote mostly chamber music. The 1807 Piano Sonata, as with Spohr his only such work, is notable for its incipient romanticism. The first movement is a well-crafted sonata form; the Menuetto that follows actually predates the music it sounds like—mostly Schubert and Mendelssohn. Onslow’s Toccata, written in 1811 when Schumann was a year old, bears an unmistakable affinity to that composer’s op. 7 Toccata in the same key. The lightweight Six Pièces, written much later in the 1840s, are reminiscent of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words. This may not be earthshaking stuff, but it’s all highly enjoyable music that is rarely played; ArkivMusic shows only one competing version of the Spohr sonata. Shelley, who as a conductor has recorded all of Spohr’s symphonies, plays this music masterfully. Hyperion’s recording is faultless. What’s not to like? Richard A. Kaplan

This article originally appeared in Issue 36:4 (Mar/Apr 2013) of Fanfare Magazine.

ONSLOW Wind Quintet, op. 81. Sextet,1 op. 30 • Ma’alot Qnt; 1Markus Becker (pn); 1Nabil Shehata (db) • MDG 903 2012-6 (SACD: 56:03)

George Onslow’s 1825 Sextet is unique, as far as I can tell, in its combination of flute, clarinet, horn, bassoon, double bass, and piano. Onslow likely inherited his interest in chamber music with winds from his teacher, Reicha, although Spohr’s Quintet for the same ensemble less the double bass had appeared in 1820. Like other composers of his generation—he was born in 1784—Onslow was not significantly influenced by Beethoven; his taking-off point seems to have been Mozart. The Sextet has a striking introduction and the expected sonata-form first movement. The piano part features prominent passage-work. The second- movement Minuetto is notable for its octave-leap figure. The third movement is an inventive variation set; it is followed by a spirited finale. The much later Quintet, written in 1850, is for the usual wind quintet configuration. It is attractive music, well-crafted if not especially consequential, and Onslow’s style shows little if any development over the quarter-century that separates the two works. The German Ma’alot Quintet and guest artists Markus Becker and Nabil Shehata give sympathetic readings to these two works. MDG’s sound is bright and honest. Recordings of Onslow’s works are not plentiful, although I note a two-disc set on Timpani that bills itself as his “complete chamber music for wind instruments”; in addition to the two works offered here, it also includes his Nonet and a septet for piano, wind quintet, and double bass. Having not heard that set, I’ll recommend this SACD as a welcome addition to the discography of 19th-century chamber music with winds. Richard A. Kaplan

This article originally appeared in Issue 42:1 (Sept/Oct 2018) of Fanfare Magazine.