Boccherini: The Guitar Quintets [Import]

Boccherini's Quintets for Guitar and Strings do not highlight the guitar as solo instrument in the way that better-known Baroque concerti frame and focus upon their respective solo instruments. Rather, the instrument insinuates itself into a company of strings and plays along with them, sometimes providing a steady background and occasionally emerging as a conventional soloist.

Like a soccer player who becomes an NFL kicker, this unexpected entree of the guitar into an unfamiliar environment displays pleasing crossover skills and unanticipated potentialities.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble gives a truly splendid performance. Boccherini writes for a vivacious violin, and he certainly finds his desideratum among this ensemble. Indeed, the violin is arguably more prominent in this music than the guitar.

One does not finish a careful hearing of this performance astonished by Pepe Romero's technical virtuosity. Boccherini does not set this artist up for such an outcome. Rather, one concludes with admiration and gratitude for Romero's ability to sublimate certain soloist prerogatives and integrate himself fully into this string-ish company, where he plays with evident cameraderie.

The quality of the sounds produced by the Philips engineers is stunning, a word one strives not to use loosely.

¡Viva Romero and his tribe!

Field goals and extra points, after all, win football games.

Pepe Romero teams up with members from the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra. Though originally released in the late 1970's, this is still the best recording of the guitar quintets of Luigi Boccherini. The playing is first rate, and the balance between guitar and strings is just right. (In most such recordings the guitar is either inaudible or unnaturally bloated.) Personally I'm not fond of all Boccherini's guitar quintets--one critic grumped that they're more fun to play than to hear. But No. 4 with its famous "Fandango" and No. 9 "La Ritirata di Madrid" are delightful.

In my opinion this is not music to listen to intently; I don't believe it was written to be listened to that way. There is sameness to all the quintets although none are exactly the same. Listen casually and let it burrow its way into your mind and spirit, leave its unique simple beauty behind to be savored. Boccherini was a very serious composer of very light music and for his supreme achievement he deserves respect and gratitude. The works are marvelously well performed. I witheld the fifth star for the sound which strikes me as too soft and plush for the music; I would prefer a bit of austerity in the sound to bring out the ripeness of the music. I hope some of this makes some sense to somebody.