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.
