Eberl: Two Quintets

Anton Eberl (1765–1807) was a Viennese composer who, in his own age, was assessed as a worthy rival to Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Although Eberl’s output of fifty opus numbers seems modest, many compositions without opus, including those for the theater, are now lost. The Grand Quintetto, op. 41, and the Quintuor Brillant, op. 48, display Eberl’s interest in instrumental chamber music configured with unusual groupings of winds and strings with piano. There are many glories in this music that resonate with the musical language of the more familiar Viennese masters, but whose qualities are both individual and characteristic.