Hyperion Records

The six Op 19 quintets cover a wide range of character and display all the resources, technical as well as expressive, common in the composer’s major works. In particular, Boccherini does not sacrifice his typical ‘symphonic’ concept of chamber music (octave doublings, full ‘orchestral’ chords and so on) while emphasizing the role of the flute. Nevertheless, the string-writing is fully integrated into the texture, rather than being of the more ‘insignificant’ type associated with concertos of the period. Two of the quintets (Nos 3 and 4) have virtuoso writing for the cello, Boccherini’s own instrument, that calls for an outstanding player.

In terms of the succession of movements, these works can be subdivided into three groups, with the sixth quintet being a special case. The first two quintets follow a ‘fast–fast’ pattern (with a minuet as the second movement), the third and fourth (the ‘flute and cello’ quintets) are ‘slow–fast’ (ending with a Rondeau grazioso and a Minuetto con moto respectively), and the fifth progresses from ‘fast’ to ‘faster’, being sealed by a breathtaking Presto assai. The second quintet is the only one in a minor key: it has a particularly dramatic first movement, in contrast with the sunny character of the first quintet.

from notes by Marco Mangani © 2008