Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)!

[SonicMan46]

Boccherini's Flute or Oboe Quintets - just a brief discussion stimulated by a post made by Bill (Bogey) in the listening thread:

From HERE, Luigi B. wrote 24 Quintets for the flute or the oboe - their Opus and/or G numbers (from Yves Gérard catalog) are listed below.

Currently, I own Op. 19 on flute (Auser Musici w/ Carlo Ipata on a period instrument); Op. 55 on flute (Michael Faust on a modern one); and Op. 55 on oboe (Lajos Lencsés - not sure about the type of oboe?).  SO, I've just 12 of these works since 6 are duplicated on different instruments - will go to Amazon and see what else might be available, especially in Op. 17 - Dave

P.S. the recording w/ Faust received a 1* rejection on Amazon by Giordano Bruno, so see attachment w/ his and two other reviews added - I agree w/ the Fanfare comments - this is a recommended recording but the flute is too much 'up front' (usually I like this approach, but...) - a better balance or a different instrument might have helped.

Op. 17 Nos. 1-6 (G. 419-424)
Op. 19 Nos. 1-6 (G. 425-430)
Op. 55 Nos. 1-6 (G. 432-436)
G. 437-442, i.e. 6 more
G. 443-444, incorrect attribution

   

[SonicMan46]

A quick F/U to my last post - just got off Amazon and ordered the two 'used' CDs (total purchase $9) that add the Op. 17 works (on the flute) and also the later works after Op. 55 w/ Rampal (the ones Bill mentioned in the listening thread) - Dave

P.S. concerning 'used' CDs from the Amazon MP, so far I've ordered at least a couple of dozen and all of played fine and many looked nearly brand new, so willing to take a chance.

 

[Jo498]

The quartets and quintets (both with the Petersen quartet) and another disc with sextets? (also with Berlin based musicians, I think) in the ealry 90ties? Capriccio Boccherini edition are excellent and often available very cheaply. I do not remember the oboe and guitar stuff from this edition because I got rid of these but the oboe was with Lencses and also pretty good. Everything with modern instruments but lively and stylish. The problem with Boccherini is that his music often is not much more than lively and stylish, but sometimes far better than that...

[SonicMan46]

Hello Jo... - I own that Capriccio box and enjoy nearly all of the discs - not as thrill w/ the performances of the Guitar Quintets but have supplemented those w/ other CDs - cannot remember the price I paid but probably not much more that $3/disc.  Dave

[71 dB]

Oh dear! Such a conflict! To buy or not to buy? What to buy? When to buy? I haven't been this confused for ages...

   

[Moonfish]

Oh dear! Such a conflict! To buy or not to buy? What to buy? When to buy? I haven't been this confused for ages...

   

The choice...

[Jo498]

There was probably nothing wrong with the guitar quintets. I dislike the combination (actually I rather dislike classical guitar most of the time).
If one does not insist on period instruments, the Capriccio box is great value, especially at the prices it was often offered in the past. And it is not so much that one is endangered of drowning.
I have quite a bit of other Boccherini (most of the the chamber music available on cpo, some other period instrument discs) but right now I lack the initiative to review them. I think his music has been rather unfairly reduced to the famous "Ladykillers" menuet, but it is not completely uncharacteristic. To be blunt, the misrepresentation of Mozart by Eine kleine Nachtmusik is far more unfair and misleading than Boccherini and his menuet.

[SonicMan46]

In the Capriccio box shown in my previous post are 2 CDs of Boccherini Symphonies - he wrote just over two dozen of these works (there is an 8-disc CPO box stating 28 symphonies - I do not own that set).  Quoted below (SOURCE), his 'symphonic works' are divided into those for small & larger orchestras; the Op. 12, 21, & 35 works composed between 1771 & 1782 were for the Spanish court where he was employed.  The remainder of his later symphonies, G. 515-522, were sent to the German court in Berlin, where Boccherini had been hired as an 'external chamber composer' in 1786.

The discs shown below are performances with Michael Erxleben conducting the New Berlin Chamber Orchestra of the last 7 'extant' symphonies in the list - these compositions are quite pleasant on a smaller scale than the symphonies being composed in Vienna or Germany at the time.  Before purchasing this Capriccio box, I had 4 discs of Luigi's symphonies: 1) Op. 12 works w/ Leppard & the New Philharmonia Orchestra - Phillips Duo; and 2) 2 discs w/ Ross Pople and the London Festival Orchestra, Op. 35, Op. 37/42 - so some duplication - guess that I'm missing the Op. 21 works for smaller orchestra, which might be more like his divertimenti?  Dave

Symphonies for small orchestra
  G. 490, 493-498 (Op. 21 - 1775)
Symphonies for larger orchestra
  G. 503-508 (Op. 12 - 1771)
  G. 509-514 (Op. 35 - 1782)
  G. 515-518 (Op. 37 - 1787) (516 lost)
  G. 519-522 (Op. 41-45 - 1788-1792)

 

[Bogey]

Thanks for the posts, Dave!

[SonicMan46]

Thanks for the posts, Dave!

No problem - was looking up the information anyway, so easy to put into a few posts!  BTW, I went to Classicsonline and purchased the Op. 21 symphonies which are part the the 8-CD CPO box - just had to buy Vol. 4 and the first 3 tracks on Vol. 5 - had some credit there so just a $10 purchase.  Burned to a CD-R and ready for a listen.  Dave

[Jo498]

There is a nice PI disc with a bunch of symphonies on harmonia mundi, played by the Akademie für Alte Musik, somewhat wilder than Leppard or the ones on Capriccio. Probably some overlap. I didn't check. I am not a completist here, so for now I think this one, Leppard and Erxleben are sufficient for me, even if there are 10 or so more symphonies.

[asin]B00009IC6F[/asin]

[Gurn Blanston]

I'm surprised looking down through here, no one has mentioned the symphonies performed in this set by Goritzki:



I have really enjoyed this box over the years, although I have the one Jo links above too, and it is excellent. 



PS - Since it is hard to read, the band is the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss - What is 'Neuss'? 

[Jo498]

Neuss is city on the lower Rhine in Germany, not far from the Dutch border.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuss

[Gurn Blanston]

Neuss is city on the lower Rhine in Germany, not far from the Dutch border.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuss

Thanks. I didn't know if it was a city or an adjective. 

[SonicMan46]

I'm surprised looking down through here, no one has mentioned the symphonies performed in this set by Goritzki:

Hi Gurn - I've been contemplating that Goritzki CPO box for a number of years, but had most of Luigi's Symphonies on the other recordings shown in my post above, except for the Op. 21 works - so did an online purchase (just left the post quoted below in the listening thread).  I'm assuming that the performances are pretty consistent - I did like the recording below.  Dave

Boccherini, Luigi - Symphonies, Op. 21 - left some posts in the Boccherini thread including one concerning his symphonies of which I had nearly all except the Op. 21 works - so went to Classicsonline and purchased the Goritzki performances (basically Vol. 4 + first 3 tracks of Vol. 5) - burned to CD-R and listened this morning - quite good!  Dave

 

[Gurn Blanston]

Hi Gurn - I've been contemplating that Goritzki CPO box for a number of years, but had most of Luigi's Symphonies on the other recordings shown in my post above, except for the Op. 21 works - so did an online purchase (just left the post quoted below in the listening thread).  I'm assuming that the performances are pretty consistent - I did like the recording below.  Dave

Ah, I figured you must have traveled this road, Dave. Yes, although I never have listened to more than one disk at a time, but they all have high production values. I have a variety of other disks of sinfonias (or with sinfonias on them) but I got this box at a bargain and now have it as a fallback so there is no one I can't listen to. I know, greedy...                             

[Karl Henning]

[ I think I am only noticing now that there is an exclamation mark in the subject header. ]

[SonicMan46]

[ I think I am only noticing now that there is an exclamation mark in the subject header. ]

Must have been the fool who started this thread?    Dave

[André]

8 discs, 28 symphonies (all of them ?). Anyone considers this is worth listening as a whole ? Second question: is it a slim box or a repackaging of 8 individual discs ?

[Mirror Image]

8 discs, 28 symphonies (all of them ?). Anyone considers this is worth listening as a whole ? Second question: is it a slim box or a repackaging of 8 individual discs ?

I don't have any interest in Boccherini, but just making an observation: it's more than likely, since it's CPO, that the box set is nothing more than a repackaging of the individual issues. Seems to be their standard procedure. Certainly a shelf-space killer!