V1 Gtr Qnts 4-6

Luigi Boccherini (1743 - 1805): Guitar Quintets Vol. 1 (G. 450; G. 449; G. 448 "Fandango"). Performed by Richard Savino, guitar, and the Artaria Quartet (Elizabeth Blumenstock, Katherine Kyme, Anthony Martin and Elisabeth Le Guin).

Recorded in October, 1989, by Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, California.

Harmonia Mundi. Originally released as HMU 907026. Re-released in 2001 in the Classical Express series as HCX 3957026. Total time: 56'54".

Luigi Boccherini was, in fact, a cellist, and is today perhaps best remembered for his cello concertos, which, in his day, were considered to be on a par with Haydn. Boccherini was a major figure in the European music scene at the end of the 18th century, and that despite the fact that he spent a great part of his life in provincial Spain, away from the great cultural centers of Europe. His large musical output was by no means limited to cello concertos; he produced symphonies and a great deal of chamber music, especially quartets and quintets. A number of these he re-worked towards the end of his life, adding a guitar and thus giving the pieces a peculiarly Spanish flavor. Elisabeth Le Guin and Richard Savino describe the resulting sound in the CD booklet, and their description is so accurate that I would like to quote it here: "Boccherini creates a handsome blend, using the guitar variously as a sonic underlay, rather like continuo, and as a sweet-voiced soloist. What is most endearing, as always in Boccherini, is his artlessness. Lovely melodies spill forth unhindered ..."

The performance on this CD is as accurate and as charming as the verbal description quoted above. There is no competition here between soloist and string quartet, but rather a delightful harmony that makes for relaxing listening where one can allow oneself the luxury of following now one instrument, then another, the guitar being all the while present but never dominant. This is made a further pleasure by the pleasant acoustics and the wonderful engineering. Full marks! After hearing this, I soon went on to buy the other two discs in this series, both equally enjoyable.

Ah, Boccherini's guitar quintets! These are a set of works that in themselves encompass almost the whole philosophy of their composer. They are all highly original (like little else out there), full of spice, twists and turns, and written in a completely un-self-conscious manner. I can say with near confidence that Boccherini wrote most of his music for himself first, and for the performers, audience and publishers second. This is music as it naturally flows raw, almost from the unconscious, that is before you can consciously pick it apart and clean it up to be heard by others. This is how you act at home when you are sure no one is watching and it is one of Boccherini's most endearing and delightful traits.

The first quintet takes no time to warm up but is already dancing around as soon as its cheerful Allegro begins. It doesn't care that it jumps around in an almost silly manner, it is just glad to be doing so. This warmth is carried on to its gentle Andantino which lays on shaded grass looking up at the clouds as they peacefully change shapes. The violins then call you into its quizzical-then-confidant Minuetto. The closing Allegretto is where Boccherini succumbs to the beautifully simple Spanish folk tunes he originally fought against. This Allegretto is about as unpretentious as it gets and is just happy to be itself.

The second quintet takes the same warmth and creates something very similar, yet more solid and with more direction and flow. It's slow and sweet in its opening Andantino, but you know it's taking all this and going somewhere with it. Initially that place is its celebratory Minuetto. This little movement alternates between a sweet, dancing happiness and a quiet, subdued wistfulness like a gentle emotional rollercoaster, something not at all atypical of Boccherini. This cheerfulness/wistfulness cycle comes to its full embodiment in the following Allegro which alternates very successfully and touchingly between romping fun and loneliness. On this foundation is built one of my supreme favorite movements in all of Boccherini: a set of variations on the quintet's opening theme. This movement is so natural and flows so fluidly through its course that it almost becomes a fundamental element like an iconic painting - it's one of those things that simply must have been and if Boccherini didn't write it then someone else surely would have. It contains several touching twists and turns (the guitar reflection at 2:39 - 3:23 is one of my all-time cherished bits of music). There are other recordings of this quintet, but the Artaria Quartet hits every variation here exactly as it sounds best and I see all other recordings as inferior to this one.

Now we come to the Fandango. It is very well done here, but has perhaps a bit much of a "chamber" feel to it when the Fandango gets underway, and yes, I know it's "chamber" music, but it's also a fandango! This is a much more introspective take on it which is great, though I always point people to Europa Galante's version as it is the platinum standard. However, the brilliance of the writing comes out, just as long as you know that it probably should be done faster and louder.

In all, this disc is purely unique and very well-realized. Of the 50+ Boccherini albums I own this is one of my favorites and I warmly recommend it to you!

This CD was my introduction to Boccherini. The only things I had heard were a couple of his more famous movements on collection CDs. This is a very enjoyable listen. And what some other reviewers have said is true: Boccherini seems much less self-absorbed than other composers; he doesn't seem to be writing to impress anybody, but just for the enjoyment of the music. This music has an innocence and creativity that is refreshing. It is also well-performed on this CD. I've never heard any other versions of this particular music to compare it to, but I've heard enough performances of music from this period to know that these musicians are very relaxed, and putting a good deal of themselves into it. Well worth looking into.