I was revisiting a L'Archibudelli/Sony Vivarte disc last night devoted to
the string chamber works of Friedrich Dotzauer who was born in the latter
half of the 1700's.  The disc includes a string quintet, string quartet,
a canon, some etudes, and a few pieces for two cellos.

This is very interesting, well constructed, and incisively performed music.
There are plenty of attractive melodies, variety of moods, and even some
high drama.  Previously, I didn't have much memory of the two cello pieces,
but I now find them superbly constructed and fully engaging.

Overall, I find the music on a level similar to that of Onslow who also has
a disc from L'Archibudelli on Sony Vivarte.  Unlike the typical classical
era string chamber composition, Dotzauer and Onslow, composing about two
decades later, give us a fair degree of tension and angst.  Also, the two
composers are distictive to a level which surpasses that of composers like
Spohr and Hummel.  They try new harmonies and musical developments -
sometimes it doesn't work well, but when it does, you get something
special.

So, do give the Dotzauer and Onslow Sony cds a listen, particularly if your
preferences tend toward period instrumentation.  You just might find the
two discs being among your treasured recordings.

Don Satz
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