 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
www.jansmusic.co.uk - for musical independence
Click here to review the contents of your basket or check out
JANSMUSIC RECOMMENDED RECORDING
Luigi
Boccherini String Quartets, Op.33: Revolutionary Drawing Room
999 206-2
String quartets Op.33:
No.1 in E major: Allegro spirituoso; Rondeau - Allegretto Lentarello
No.2 in C major: Allegretto; Tempo di Menuetto
No.3 in G major: Andante con moto; Presto assai
No.4 in B flat major: Andante Lentarello; Menuetto
No.5 in E minor: Allegro brillante; Allegro vivo - Menuetto - Allegro vivo
No.6 in E flat major: Adagio; Menuetto affetuoso
I'm a recent convert to the period instrument world. I still cling to the full-blooded string sound, so vividly embodied in my 2 previous string quartets of the month (Shostakovich and Vainberg in case you missed them), but these Boccherini String Quartets just cry out for the light touch that the Revolutionary Drawing Room provide.
I didn't know Boccherini before this recording, but am looking forward to hearing more - the group have recorded further discs of his quartets. It seems that Boccherini was quite prolific in the chamber music department. He was one of those lucky composers who was supported by a number of noblemen, writing for their private ensembles. His music can be compared with that of Mozart and Haydn, but without the complexity and depth of harmonic writing, which perhaps explains why his popularity declined as theirs increased.
These Op.33 quartets are all two movements
- apparently he termed them "quartettinos". Rather like
the Shostakovich quartets which are "dark" overall even in their
lighter passages, these are lighthearted even in their darker
passages. The writing is quite simple in style, often single lines
with simple accompaniment, or instruments often paired off, such as the
two violins playing in thirds. The music isn't overly dramatic, and
the Revolutionary Drawing Room, rather than trying to bring out every
nuance, let the music speak for itself - their playing is very relaxed,
even in the more frantic passages such as the presto of the third quartet,
and I very much get the impression that the quartet enjoys playing
together. I can almost see them smiling at each other at the
recurrent frivolous moments in Boccherini's writing, throwing them back
and forth between the players.
| Price £12.50 + p&p | Buy this CD |
| View terms & conditions | Review basket contents |
