Luigi Puxeddu, Virtuosi Della Rotonda - Boccherini: String Quintets, Op. 30 & Op.31, Vol. XI (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. String Quintet No.1 in B-Flat Major, G.319, Op. 30: I. Andante Lentarello
02. String Quintet No.1 in B-Flat Major, G.319, Op. 30: II. Minuetto
03. String Quintet No. 2 in A Minor, G.320, Op. 30: I. Allegro
04. String Quintet No. 2 in A Minor, G.320, Op. 30: II. Minuetto
05. String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, G.321, Op. 30: I. Andantino Lentarello
06. String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, G.321, Op. 30: II. Minuetto
07. String Quintet No. 4 in E-Flat Major, G.322, Op. 30: I. Allegro
08. String Quintet No. 4 in E-Flat Major, G.322, Op. 30: II. Minuetto
09. String Quintet No. 5 in E Minor, G.323, Op. 30: I. Allegretto
10. String Quintet No. 5 in E Minor, G.323, Op. 30: II. Minuetto
11. String Quintet No. 6 in C Major, G.324 "la musica notturna delle strade di Madrid": I. Imitando il tocco dell'Ave Maria Della
12. String Quintet No. 6 in C Major, G.324 "la musica notturna delle strade di Madrid": II. Tutti pizzicato - Minuetto dei Ciechia
13. String Quintet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, G.325, Op. 31: I. Allegro Moderato
14. String Quintet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, G.325, Op. 31: II. Minuetto
15. String Quintet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, G.325, Op. 31: III. Grave
16. String Quintet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, G.325, Op. 31: IV. Allegro vivace ma non Presto
17. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, G.326, Op. 31: I. Moderato
18. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, G.326, Op. 31: II. Andante Lento
19. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, G.326, Op. 31: III. Minuetto, con Moto
20. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, G.326, Op. 31: IV. Rondeau. Allegretto
21. String Quintet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, G.327, Op. 31: I. Andante Lento
22. String Quintet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, G.327, Op. 31: II. Allegro Assai
23. String Quintet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, G.327, Op. 31: III. Minuetto
24. String Quintet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, G.327, Op. 31: IV. Finale. Allegro Vivo
25. String Quintet No. 4 in C Minor, G.328. Op. 31: I. Preludio - Adagio
26. String Quintet No. 4 in C Minor, G.328. Op. 31: II. Allegro Vivo
27. String Quintet No. 4 in C Minor, G.328. Op. 31: III. Adagio
28. String Quintet No. 4 in C Minor, G.328. Op. 31: IV. Allegro ma non presto Conclusivo
29. String Quintet No. 5 in A Major, G.329, Op. 31: I. Cantabile
30. String Quintet No. 5 in A Major, G.329, Op. 31: II. Allegro Maestoso
31. String Quintet No. 5 in A Major, G.329, Op. 31: III. Minuetto
32. String Quintet No. 5 in A Major, G.329, Op. 31: IV. Finale. Allegro
33. String Quintet No. 6 in F Major, G.330, Op. 31: I. Allegretto con Moto
34. String Quintet No. 6 in F Major, G.330, Op. 31: II. Largo
35. String Quintet No. 6 in F Major, G.330, Op. 31: III. Minuetto
36. String Quintet No. 6 in F Major, G.330, Op. 31: IV. Finale. Allegro Vivo

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.

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