On his travels through Europe, a young Italian prodigy captivates the audience.
At a time when the violoncello is hardly known as a solo instrument, Luigi Boccherini is considered a young savage on the instrument. A trip to Madrid became a turning point. There, in 1770, he obtained a position as a chamber musician with the Spanish Infante Don Luis of Borbón, and from then on, his works composed in the Italian style also include various Spanish folk music adaptations, which are still considered his true trademark today.
His 27 symphonies, on the other hand, are written in a thoroughly European instrumental style, whereby the Symphonies op. 35 from 1782, in particular, are reminiscent in their drama and dynamics of the Sturm und Drang compositions of the middle Haydn. In this recording we hear the original version without winds, with which the cycle later became known, which does not detract from the extroversion of the music under Marc Destrubé’s gripping interpretation.
Gallant passages are repeatedly replaced by eruptive moments, and Luigi Boccherini once again proves himself a master of affective variety. It’s just a pity that the recording technique has been quite generous with the reverberation, which makes some details of the compositions seem a bit foggy and the orchestra’s gripping style of playing doesn’t quite come into its own.
Luigi Boccherini – The Six Symphonies on the Orchestra’s webshop