BOCCHERINI: Cello Concerto in B-Flat Major / HAYDN: Cello Co

Though never a rival to his contemporaries Haydn and Mozart in terms of fame, partly on account of a lack of great ambition, Boccherini was held in huge esteem by connoisseurs in his own lifetime. 'If God wanted to speak to man through music, he would do so through the works of Haydn; if he wished to listen to music himself, he would choose the works of Boccherini.' There cannot be any greater accolade than this, expressed in 1798 by the French violinist and composer Jean-Baptiste Cartier - and that was certainly not a unique view: Boccherini's prodigious talents as a lyrical melodist and sumptuous sound smith were highly prized by those who were had encountered them. Boccherini is the greatest Italian composer of the Classical era - although he lived in Spain for most of his career. Distanced from the Austro-German mainstream, his music retained an individual and distinctive voice, imbued with a refined galant grace which, on the surface at least, can sometimes appear old-fashioned even for his time. Unlike the Viennese school, he was not preoccupied with structural and tonal complexities, but pushed boundaries in his own quieter, more subtle ways. Undervalued in modern times (he has been mean-spiritedly dismissed as 'Haydn's wife'), there is much to appreciate in Boccherini's uniquely expressive voice. His greatest legacy is an enormous body of chamber works, but his output also includes around 30 symphonies, a dozen concertos for his own instrument, the cello, and a smattering of vocal works. This monumental set gathers all of the above, in lavish performances by artists who are among the greatest champions of the composer's art in recent decades.

Other information: - Recordings date from 1991-2021 - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Graham Rogers. - Played in Historically Informed Performance Practice by leading Early Music instrumentalists. - The most comprehensive collection of music by Luigi Boccherini ever issued, 52 CDs brimming with charm, elegance, wit and catching melodies!

This new Edition contains a wealth of Boccherini's music: symphonies, cello concertos, sextets, string quintets, quartets and trios, violin sonatas and duos, and the moving Stabat Mater.

The most emblematic work among Boccherini's descriptive music is his quintet with two cellos La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, which 'depicts' a cross-section of the night in Madrid, from the sound of the Ave Maria on the city's church bells to the soldiers' patrol announcing the curfew. In the short time-frame of five movements / episodes, the different souls of the night of Madrid are recalled. This is amplified in his revision of the quintet, extending the final movement through the addition of 11 variations on the theme of the Curfew Patrol. Both versions of the Quintet are presented in this recording, along with the other five that make up Opus 30, designated by Boccherini as an "opera piccola" due to their two-movement structure. In them Boccherini explores various expressive characters, both within the individual movements and in their juxtaposition, exploiting peculiarities of his art such as the skilful use of modulations and harmonic contrasts, the subtle balancing of melody and texture and the emphasizing of rhythm in the characterization of musical ideas. The second set of quintets with two cellos that Boccherini composed, numbered as Op. 31, is designated an "opera grande", featuring compositions in more than two movements. The play of characters that Boccherini develops through these quintets appears overall to be even more multifaceted and nuanced than in his Quintets Op. 30. In these quintets, as in the Musica notturna and indeed other chamber works by Boccherini, the sacred and profane meet in the name of musical pathos, putting to the listener an ethical and existential question, as well as an aesthetical one. It will be up to each of us to find an answer on the basis of our own sensibilities. Other information: - Recorded October 2014, January 2015, January & June 2016, Padua, Italy - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Matteo Giuggioli and a profile of the ensemble - The Italian liner notes are available for download at www. Brilliantclassics. com - The continuation of a highly successful and popular series on Brilliant Classics: the String Quintets by Boccherini (1743-1805)! The String Quintet series, of which 17 CD's have already been issued, brought to light many hidden treasures, masterworks of chamber music in pure Classical Style, brimming with vitality, wit and winning charm. - This new recording presents the String Quintets Op. 30 and 31, of which the Op. 30 No. 6 is the most remarkable: this quintet with two cellos La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid "depicts" a cross-section of the night in Madrid, from the sound of the Ave Maria on the church bells of the city until the passage of the soldiers' patrol announcing the curfew. In five movements-episodes, the different souls of the night of Madrid are recalled: the religious and devout (Ave Maria delle Parrocchie, Rosario) that carefree and goliardic (Minuetto dei ciechi, Passa Calle), and the military one (Ave Maria del Quartiere, Ritirata). In this quintet each musical resource is employed, in an extremely original way. As Boccherini himself notes in the score, the faithful representation from real life is so central in this work, that "everything that does not conform to the rules of composition, must be justified by the truth of the represented thing". - Played by Luigi Puxeddu and I Virtuosi della Rotonda, with Federico Guglielmo, Alessia Pazzaglia, Davide Zaltron and Riccardo Giovine.

The emotion-laden text of the Stabat mater has been an inspiration to many composers from the Renaissance onwards and has been set to music in every possible style. Luigi Boccherini, a virtuoso cellist and unquestioned master of chamber music, composed his own setting with a great respect for the text’s character. The quintet that accompanies the solo soprano has the same qualities of balance and homogeneity common to the best chamber works of the end of the Classical period, whilst the blend between voices and instruments is perfect. Boccherini’s profound respect for the text enables him to identify the exact musical character of each and every verse. Born in Belgium, Sophie Karthäuser completed her studies with Noelle Barker at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is one of the world’s finest interpreters of Mozart and has been called a born “Mozartian,” and brings that same clarity of interpretation and flair to the work presented on this release.

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Published in Paris in 1768, the Sei Sonate, Op. 5 (G 25-30), are Boccherini's first compositions for keyboard, probably inspired by the playing of their dedicatee Mme. Brillon de Jouy, who Charles Burney considered to be one of the greatest keyboard players in Europe at that time. Boccherini met her while staying in Paris in 1767-1768 (from whence he had intended to go to London). This intimate friend of Benjamin Franklin Owned several harpsichords and 'new' pianos, including one sent from London by Johann Christian Bach, similar to the square piano made by Frederick Beck recorded here. Violinist Liana Mosca began studying her instrument at the Suzuki Talent Center in Turin. She received her degree at the Milan Conservatory, and began winning international competitions in 1987. She has recorded for several labels, and currently teaches at the Accademia Suzuki in Turin and is a Teacher Trainer with the Italian Suzuki Institute.

Recording information: Funkstudio im SWR Stuttgart (01/17/2005-01/20/2005); Funkstudio im SWR Stuttgart (11/17/2005-11/18/2005).

This Zig-Zag Territoires release, a second collaboration between the label and cellist Marco Ceccato (the first, Vivaldi, highly praised), focusing on Luigi Boccherini, illustrates two important aspects of output. The two quintets and the divertimento feature the combination of the string quartet - of which Boccherini was, in a way, a co-founder with Haydn - with guitar and flute respectively; on the other, the cello, of which he was a leading exponent. His use of the guitar and flute's sound capabilities is always a delight; the Cello Concerto in G major a summary of virtuosity and lyricism.

On this recording of boccherini's Arie da Concerto, the Belgian ensemble Capriola di Gioia defies the stubborn stereotyping of Boccherini as the gallant master of unsurpassable but insignificant melodies. Close listening to this marvellous music reveals a genius with a profound understanding of human psychology, and a rich harmonic palette to paint the smallest affective nuances. In these arias, Boccherini is rehabilitated as a true her of Handel, a worthy contemporary to Haydn, and an early precursor of the belcanto of Bellini. This album is a rare recording of vocal music by Bocchereini, who himself - at the time - was a neglected composer. This album rehabilitates Boccherini as a true heri of Handel, a worthy contemporary to Haydn, and an early precursor of the belcanto of Bellini.

Luigi Boccherini's six sonatas for violoncello and bass, published in London around 1770/1775, are technically quite demanding pieces. The baroque cellist Dmitri Dichtiar makes it clear that these are not only effective virtuoso pieces, but rather chamber music jewels, which are characterized not least by a melody rich in affect and ornamentation. The cellist has worked with many ensembles, such as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Anima Eterna Orchestra, the Nova Stravaganza, Hofkapelle Munich, the Ensemble moderntimes 1800, the Vienna Academy, the Concerto Cologne and the DEUTSCHE H�NDEL-SOLISTEN. He teaches baroque cello and historical performance practice at the Karlsruhe University of Music.

The name Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) does not immediately bring to mind such modest works as violin duos, but alongside his large output of trios, quartets and quintets for stringed instruments, Boccherini's oeuvre also features two sets of six pieces for two violins. One set was composed at the beginning of his compositional career, in 1761 - that is, before his 20th birthday - and published some years later, in 1768, in Paris by Louis-Balthazar de La Chevardiere, under the title Six duos pour deux violons, with the opus number 5. Later, the same collection is described by the composer as his Opus 3. And then there is a second, much later collection with arrangements for two violins of other compositions of his originally written for three or five stringed instruments. The latter set was published by Ignace Pleyel in Paris in 1799 - just a few years before his death - under the similar title Six duos pour deux violons, with opus number 46. Unsurprisingly, the two sets are very different in character. Boccherini's Duets Op. 3 all consist of three movements. Five of them begin with a fast movement, in a major key. Then follows a slow movement in a different key, sometimes major, sometimes minor. And, finally, there is most often a minuet, in a characteristic 3/4 time, with a tempo between slow and fast. The first duet in the set, however, follows a different model: it starts with a slow movement, a fast movement follows and finally there is a light-hearted 'Presto'. We know the year of composition of the Duets Op. 3, and we know for sure that they are works by Boccherini. Regarding the Violin Duets Op. 46, however, there are still some question marks. We know that they were published in 1799 by the Parisian publisher Ignace Pleyel, but they are missing from the catalogue compiled by Boccherini himself of his own works. That does not necessarily mean that they are not from his hand. Boccherini regularly arranged his own compositions for other instrumental combinations, and these are systematically missing from his catalogue. And these arrangements are not simply reductions of the original compositions for two violins: in many cases they are thorough re-compositions based on the original material. This last aspect in particular contributes to the assumption that the arranger was Boccherini himself: arrangers who are not the original composer usually leave the structure of the composition intact in their arrangements. In the case of Boccherini's Duets Op. 46, as it were, new compositions were created. Boccherini's violin duets are perhaps not among his best-known compositions. For the Duets Op. 3 one has to go back quite far into the past to find a recording on LP or CD. The Duets Op. 46 have never been recorded on LP or CD. It's high time, then, for a CD featuring these charming and melodious works. Other information: - Recorded October, November & December 2021, Velp, Netherlands - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Rudolf Rasch and profiles of the violinists - The recording of the Opus 3 Duets is based on the critical edition of these works in Volume 29 of the series Luigi Boccherini: Opera Omnia, published in 2007 by Ut Orpheus Edizioni (Bologna) - The Dutch liner notes are available for download at www. Brilliantclassics. com - A much-underrated composer, Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) was one of the leading composers of the late 18th century, a friend and colleague of both Haydn and Mozart, and a formidable cello virtuoso. Although less dramatic than either Haydn or Mozart, his music does have moments of explosive drama that appear all the more effective when bursting fortissimo from an otherwise calm movement. The harmonic shifts are also surprising and used to great effect. His music is sensuous, charming and highly melodious, yet may be passionate and dramatic as well. - This new recording presents the complete Duets for two violins by Boccherini. Originally conceived as study material, these works far transcend this aim, as they are challenging, skillfully written compositions, brimming with good tunes and blazing vitality. - Played by Igor Ruhadze and Daria Gorban, specialized in Baroque repertoire, having recorded the complete works by Locatelli and works by Nardini. Rugadze's recording of the Boccherini violin sonatas on Brilliant Classics received 5 stars in the French Diapason.

Late 18th century Italian composer Luigi Boccherini produced a vast catalogue of compositions, several of which were chamber works featuring the flute. Australian flautist Sally Walker, whose first appearance on AVIE was in collaboration with harpist Emily Granger on the album Something Like This, has taken a deep dive into the provenance of Boccherini's works for her instrument to produce a 90-minute, 2-for-the-price-of-one volume of music that is infinitely elegant, virtuosic and beautifully refined. The relatively rare yet imaginative Six Quintets, Op. 19, for two violins, flute, viola and cello vary in their configuration, some intimate, others on a grander scale reminiscent of the composer's orchestral music. Also included are the first "Divertimento Notturno" from the Sextet, Op. 38 for violin, viola, bassoon, flute, horn and double bass; and, as a "bonus" the Quintet G.443 for flute, oboe, violin, viola and cello, a work attributed to Boccherini. Although it's authorship is contested, as Sally says, "it is such a beautiful work that we wanted to include it anyway."

Classical Music

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Classical Music