Sensitive strings

The first French chamber music societies aimed primarily to introduce the works of the great Viennese composers to Paris; until the 1830s, little space was given to French production. The works of George Onslow, numerous and perfectly in line with Austrian models, opened a first window to French programming in the concerts organized by Pierre Baillot. Félicien David seized the opportunity: with the quintet series Les Quatre Saisons , he presented four cycles of six short pieces each, intended to enrich the evenings of the chamber musicians of his time. The last, Soirées d'hiver , is also dedicated to Onslow.