Born in Clermont-Ferrand of Anglo-French parentage (his father was a maverick MP who fled England to avoid prosecution, his mother an Auvergne aristocrat), George Onslow (1784-1853) led something of a double life as gentleman farmer and prolific purveyor of chamber music. Admiringly dubbed ‘the French Beethoven’ in his lifetime, he rapidly fell out of favour after his death; and if he has a reputation today, it is for blandly euphonious neo-classicism.

For Robert Schumann, Onslow and Mendelssohn were the only contemporary composers of string quartets worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Beethoven. If Onslow is flattered by both comparisons, there is much appealing and expertly crafted music in these three quartets, published in 1814 and recorded here for the first time. His was an essentially easy-going temperament; and while Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven are the reference points, his music has little of their developmental rigour. Even when Onslow flirts with the darker side, as in the outer movements of the C minor Quartet, Op 8 No 1, jauntiness quickly intrudes. But he is a fluent master of varied quartet textures, with a nice feeling for harmonic surprise. Befitting a fine amateur cellist, he showcases his own instrument at moments such as the soulful bel canto duetting in the C minor Quartet’s Adagio. Other highlights include Op 10 No 3’s piquant rustic Minuet, with a Trio based on an Auvergne folksong, and the faintly exotic Andante of Op 8 No 3, where Spanish bolero rhythms and twanging guitars receive a civilising Gallic makeover.

Devoted Onslow advocates, the young French period-instrument Quatuor Ruggieri give lucid, rhythmically supple performances, graceful of phrase, crisp of conversational interplay. Their clean, ‘straight’ tone is warmed by a modest, selective use of vibrato. Except for the rather cautious-sounding Presto finale of the C minor Quartet, tempi and character seem shrewdly judged, whether in the relaxed, playful discourse of Op 8 No 3’s opening Allegro (sounding like a more compliant Haydn), the eager spring and snap of the minuets – each of them a scherzo in spirit – and the (by Onslow’s standards) explosive contrasts in the finale of Op 10 No 3. The ‘charm, fluidity, elegance and flair’ that the enthusiastic booklet-note writer finds in these quartets aptly summarises the Ruggieri’s delightful playing.