A search of this forum for any mention of the British composer Norman O'Neill (1875-1934) elicits no results. So...
A few weeks ago I was browsing the bins at the only decent retail outlet for classical CDs remaining in Manhattan (J&R Music World) and I came upon this disc:
I'd never heard of O'Neill, but the dates fell well within my range of tolerance and I added it to my handful of purchases (I also was attracted by the cover art :P).
Well, what a treat! I learned that Norman O'Neill grew up in relative affluence in a family line of "distinguished musicians, musicologists and composers" (his father was the artist G. B. O'Neill) and, at his premature demise (apparently being struck by an automobile - dying in the same year as England lost Holst, Delius and Elgar!) he was on the brink of writing for Hollywood - sought after by Hitchcock, among others. Anyway..
The works on the CD are:
1. String Quartet in C Major - apparently stitched together by O'Neill from various sketches - it is a lovely, pastoral, typically-British exercise in delight;
2. Piano Trio in One Movement - a bit more advanced than the Quartet but still beautiful chamber music with glittering piano accompaniment;
3. Piano Quintet in E Minor - a mighty piece with a magnificent opening few minutes. It is less "English" than the other O'Neill works on the disc written, as it was, after the composer had studied in Frankfurt with the Russian Ivan Knorr, a biographer of Tchaikovsky. This is major-league chamber music, without a doubt, passionate and powerful - why it never had been recorded before this premiere is a shame;
4. Theme and Variations for Piano Trio (on the popular song "Polly Oliver") - based on a 17th-century ditty, this work is O'Neill's Opus No.1 and was a favorite of his pianist-wife, Adine Ruckert.
Needless to add - this should be a not-to-be-missed acquisition for any lover of chamber music or simply glorious music in general.
