These two early quintets were not published in the composer's lifetime and neither is thought to have been performed after 1918, so this is an interesting glimpse into Vaughan Williams's development. His widow, Ursula, gave the scores to the British Library in 1958 but placed an embargo on their performance, only lifted in the 1990s. The central andante of the 1903 C minor quintet is unmistakable VW, a beautiful piano melody (from the peerless John Lenehan) tenderly taken up by the strings, but the restless 1898 D major quintet (scored for violin, cello, clarinet, horn and piano) is less successful, the playing of the London Soloists Ensemble often bloodless and uneven.