In its mix of tonality, Expressionism and Schoenbergian serialism, the late chamber music of Egon Wellesz (1885–1974) – born in Vienna but an Oxford don for almost four decades – marries the mid-century radicalism of his native city with the lyricism of his adoptive homeland. In the first part of his career Wellesz was best known as a composer of operas, and these chamber works were audibly written by someone with a keen sense of drama: in their primal passion, flawless pacing, arching melodic lines and occasional bursts of humour, one can almost imagine them on stage.
Works:
•Wellesz: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 81
•Wellesz: String Trio, Op. 86
•Wellesz: Stücke (4), Op. 103
•Wellesz: Stücke (4), Op. 105