Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDA67646

Quintet for flute and strings in D major 'Las Parejas', G430

composer
Op 19 No 6

Auser Musici
Recording details: April 2007
Oratorio di S Domenico, Pisa, Italy
Produced by Sigrid Lee
Engineered by Roberto Meo
Release date: March 2008
Total duration: 11 minutes 41 seconds

Cover artwork: The Rehearsal (detail) by Etienne Jeaurat (1699-1789)
Private Collection. Copyright Gavin Graham Gallery, London / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘These are delightful works played with a persuasively affectionate period-instrument style, with a felicitous lead from the nimble and gently expressive flautist, Carlo Ipata. Hyperion do the players proud in their debut recording; we shall surely hear more of them’ (Gramophone)

‘These are enjoyable performances. No 4 is particularly attractive, with its beautifully paced Adagio assai, lyrical flute and virtuoso cello playing’ (Early Music Review)

‘Listening to these six quintets, one is immediately captivated by a charm and invention that, while of a different nature, easily equals that of Haydn or Mozart … the playing is exceptional … beautifully recorded in the Oratorio di S Domenico, Pisa, this is an auspicious debut for Auser Musici on Hyperion. Further recordings are planned—let's hope we don't have to wait too long for them’ (International Record Review)

‘I was pleasantly surprised with this disc. The music is typical Boccherini, charming and with a certain amount of energy … but the performances by Auser Musici flow beautifully. They have both inner energy and a smile’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Finest of all is the opening Allegro of the G minor Quintet, a movement of tensely swirling, surging passions. The Italian ensemble Auser Musici … capture admirably the spirit of Boccherini's multi-faceted world’ (Goldberg)
The sixth piece of Op 19 deserves particular attention. The autograph score bears the title Las Parejas (‘The couples’), and each movement has a subtitle: a six-bar Entrada is immediately followed by a Marcia and a Galope; then, after a double re-exposition of the Entrada, there is a restatement of the Marcia, without repeats. The title refers to a typical Spanish horse race, in which two horsemen run hand in hand. This is the sort of ‘descriptive’ music where Boccherini was such a master (think also of his celebrated Musica notturna di Madrid). Such descriptions are among the most challenging features of Boccherini’s music. The edition of this quintet by La Chevardière lacks the general title while retaining the subtitles of each movement; perhaps Boccherini considered the explicit reference of title, intended for the Spaniards, as something unsuited to the French public.

from notes by Marco Mangani © 2008

La sixième pièce du recueil op. 19 mérite une attention particulière. La partition autographe s’intitule Las Parejas («Les paires») et chaque mouvement est sous-titré: une Marcia et un Galope suivent immédiatement une Entrada de six mesures; puis passée une double réexposition de cette dernière, la Marcia est réénoncée, sans reprise. Le titre renvoie à une course de chevaux typiquement espagnole, où deux cavaliers courent main dans la main. C’est dans ces musiques «descriptives» que Boccherini excellait tant (songez à la célèbre Musica notturna di Madrid). Ces descriptions comptent parmi les traits les plus exaltants de sa musique. La partition éditée par La Chevardière n’est coiffée d’aucun titre mais conserve les sous-titres de chaque mouvement: peut-être Boccherini trouvait-il que la référence explicite du titre, destiné aux Espagnols, ne convenait pas au public français.

extrait des notes rédigées par Marco Mangani © 2008
Français: Hypérion

Das sechste Quintett Op. 19 verdient besondere Beachtung. Die handschriftliche Partitur enthält den Titel Las Parejas („Die Paare“) und jeder Satz einen Untertitel: eine sechstaktige Entrada wird sofort von einem Marcia und einer Galope gefolgt. Nach einer doppelten Wiederholung der einleitenden Entrada erklingt nochmals der Marcia, ohne Wiederholungen. Der Titel „Las Parejas“ bezieht sich auf ein typisches spanisches Pferderennen, bei dem zwei Reiter Hand in Hand reiten. Hier hat man es mit der Art „illustrativer“ Musik zu tun, die Boccherini so meisterhaft beherrschte (denken Sie auch an seine berühmte Musica notturna di Madrid). Solche Illustrationen gehören zu den fesselndsten Elementen in Boccherinis Musik. Die Ausgabe von La Chevardière enthält nicht den Titel „Las Parejas“ aber die Untertitel für die einzelnen Sätze. Vielleicht glaubte Boccherini, dass der explizite Titel, der für die Spanier gedacht war, nicht für die Franzosen geeignet sei.

aus dem Begleittext von Marco Mangani © 2008
Deutsch: Elke Hockings

Il sesto brano della raccolta op. 19 merita un’attenzione particolare. La partitura autografa reca il titolo Las Parejas («Le coppie») e ogni movimento ha un sottotitolo: una Entrada di sei battute è seguita immediatamente da una Marcia e da un Galope; quindi, dopo una doppia riesposizione dell’Entrada, viene ripetuta l’intera Marcia senza ritornelli. Il titolo si riferisce a una tipica corsa di cavalli spagnola nella quale i cavalieri corrono a coppie tenendosi per mano. Si tratta di un esempio di quella musica «descrittiva» di cui Boccherini era maestro (basti pensare alla Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid). Queste descrizioni sono uno degli aspetti più avvincenti della musica di Boccherini. Nel pubblicare il lavoro, La Chevardière omise il titolo generale ma conservò i sottotitoli; forse lo stesso Boccherini considerava il riferimento esplicito del titolo, pensato per gli spagnoli, come inadatto al pubblico francese.

Marco Mangani © 2008

Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...