Album insights
The works on this CD have yet to be recorded, except for the Andante con moto from the Quintet in C major, Op. 42 No. 2 (G 349) and the last movement of the Quintet in C major, Op. 28 No. 4 (G 310), a Rondeau in a comedic style cherished by young cellists. In Johannes Lauterbach's edition, these two movements coexist with other Quintet movements by Luigi Boccherini. Out of Boccherini's 110 Quintets for two violins, viola, and two cellos, only about 30 have been recorded, with 16 yet to be released. Boccherini experienced a fate similar to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" with his Minuet (G 275, on Hyperion CDA67287), made famous by the 1950s film classic "The Ladykillers."
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) didn't conform to the classical sonata conventions like his contemporaries Mozart and Haydn. Ellen Amsterdam describes Boccherini's works as musical still lifes, complete and perfect. Boccherini's trio following a minuet serves as a laboratory for surprising experiments, with unconventional Stracinando effects used in all five voices of G 348 (also on Hyperion CDA 67287). The instruction "Stracinando" likely derives from the Italian "strascinare," meaning "to drag," and denotes a bowing technique.
Boccherini's usage of repetitive elements may irk some listeners, but it adds structural depth and color to his music. Repetition is a hallmark of Boccherini's music, reflecting his holistic view of audience participation. While Mozart or Haydn may repeat a phrase twice, Boccherini often does so thrice, creating a collective performance dynamic. Boccherini's minuets capture the 18th-century sensibility with the grace of a dancer.
After concert tours in Italy and France, Boccherini was invited to the Spanish court in Madrid by the Infante Don Luis de Borbón. Boccherini found solace in composing for the court, collaborating with the Font family quartet, creating numerous quintets with two cello parts that became central to his oeuvre. Following the deaths of his patron and wife in 1785, Boccherini continued to find support through pensions and appointments.
In 1795, Boccherini ceased composing quintets with two cello parts due to declining health, focusing on guitar and piano quintets dedicated to Lucien Bonaparte and the French nation. Despite a misconstrued image of him as a destitute artist, newer research reveals Boccherini's financial stability and possessions. Boccherini, a once forgotten musical genius, passed away in 1805, leaving behind a legacy that endured.