Luigi Boccherini: The Six Symphonies À Quatro, Op. 35

Emilio Moreno's passion, knowledge and thirst for the music of Luigi Boccherini yields a further revelation with the Six Symphonies, Op 35, premiered in 1782, newly edited by violist Moreno and performed here by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. In 1769, Boccherini extended his travels in search of work, fame and fortune across Europe to include Spain, country in which he would stay for the rest of his life. In 1776, Boccherini's patron, Don Luis de Borbon, found himself outmanoeuvred by the king Carlos III in the royal succession stakes. He was exiled far enough from Madrid so as not to be a nuisance. He decided to set up home in Arenas de San Pedro, in the province of Ávila. Fortunately for Boccherini (and posterity), Don Luis was a committed and rich patron of the arts (the young Goya was a beneficiary) and devoted to his music. In Madrid Don Luis had been enthusiastic about the developing symphony genre and Boccherini sought to palliate the prince's exile some seven years into it with these six sprightly three-movement Sinfonìas à Quatro, imbued with the light of Spain. That the palace "house band" was typically a string quintet didn't prevent Boccherini from imaging these symphonies as involving up to four string players per part for future performances, and it is such a conception which is being followed by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century (continuing to maintain the love of music-making and the touring spirit instilled by their founder, the late Frans Brüggen), here led by violinist Marc Destrubé. In 1981, Frans Brüggen, Lucy van Dael and friends founded the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, consisting of fifty members from twenty different countries. Six or more times a year the orchestra assembles to go on tour. The musicians, all specialists in eighteenth and early nineteenth century music, play on period instruments or on contemporary copies. The wide-ranging repertoire this orchestra performs includes works by Purcell, Bach, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Chopin, and has been recorded for Philips Classics and nowadays for The Grand Tour/Glossa. In August 2014, the Orchestra had to say farewell to Bruggen. While the collaboration between the orchestra and its founding father came to an end with his death, Bruggen's inspiration remains and will guide the Orchestra for years to come. The Orchestra continues the tradition of six or more projects a year, now by inviting guests and guest conductors to lead. "The Orchestra of the 18th Century's renderings of these affable, bustling works have an attractive snap and tang to them." BBC Music Magazine (5 STARS)

Composer: Luigi Boccherini

Conductor: Marc Destrubé

Number of Discs: 2

Orchestra: Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century

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