Luigi Boccherini - Quintets for Guitar and Strings (Disc 1)  (78:10)
	01	No. 1 In D Minor, G. 445						05:25
	02	No. 1 In D Minor, G. 445						04:16
	03	No. 1 In D Minor, G. 445						04:25
	04	No. 1 In D Minor, G. 445						03:48
	05	No. 3 In B Flat, G. 447						07:32
	06	No. 3 In B Flat, G. 447						05:34
	07	No. 3 In B Flat, G. 447						04:19
	08	No. 3 In B Flat, G. 447						06:22
	09	No. 5 In D, G. 449						05:23
	10	No. 5 In D, G. 449						03:20
	11	No. 5 In D, G. 449						02:12
	12	No. 5 In D, G. 449						07:01
	13	No. 7 In E Minor, G. 451						04:59
	14	No. 7 In E Minor, G. 451						03:42
	15	No. 7 In E Minor, G. 451						04:17
	16	No. 7 In E Minor, G. 451						05:35
Luigi Boccherini - Quintets for Guitar and Strings (Disc 2)  (77:50)
	01	Maestoso Assai No. 2 In G, G. 446						05:34
	02	Adagio - Allegretto No. 2 In G, G. 446						04:02
	03	Polacca No. 2 In G, G. 446						05:48
	04	Pastorale No. 4 In D, G. 448 (Fandango)						04:35
	05	Allegro Maestoso No. 4 In D, G. 448 (Fandango)						05:07
	06	Grave Assai - Fandango No. 4 In D, G. 448 (Fandango)						07:32
	07	Allegro Con Vivacita No. 6 In G, G. 450						06:07
	08	Andantino Lento No. 6 In G, G. 450						03:07
	09	Tempo Di Minuetto No. 6 In G, G. 450						04:35
	10	Allegretto No. 6 In G, G. 450						03:48
	11	Alegro Maestoso Assai No. 9 In C, G. 453 (La Ritirata Di Madrid)						11:03
	12	Andantino No. 9 In C, G. 453 (La Ritirata Di Madrid)						04:08
	13	Allegretto No. 9 In C, G. 453 (La Ritirata Di Madrid)						05:25
	14	La Ritirata Di Madrid No. 9 In C, G. 453						06:59

Recorded between 1979 & 1981 Philips 438 769 2

Luigi Boccherini
Birth - Feb 19, 1743 in Lucca, Italy
Death - May 28, 1805 in Madrid, Spain

Classical 1744-1804


Biography by AMG
Franz Joseph Haydn may be the father of the string quartet, but Luigi Boccherini might be considered one of its uncles. Born on February 19, 1743, Boccherini was the son of a professional musician who was the first double bassist to perform solo concerts. The elder Boccherini started to give his son cello lessons when the boy was five years old. Luigi continued his studies from the age of nine with Abbe Vanucci, music director of the cathedral at San Martino. When the boy made his first public appearance it was conceded that he had already surpassed his teacher's skills. He was sent to Rome, where he trained with G. B. Costanzi, music director of St. Peter's Basilica. After one year in Rome, Luigi and his father were summoned to Vienna, where they were hired by the Imperial Theater Orchestra.

Boccherini's compositions were first published when he was 17 years old. In 1765 Boccherini and his father went to Milan, which at the time was a magnet for talented musicians. It was there that he wrote his first string quartet. In the same year, the ill health that would plague Boccherini all his life began to take its toll. The composer endured a further blow in 1766 when his father died. He formed a new partnership with the violinist Filippo Manfredi; they toured Italy in 1767 and made their way to Paris, where they became a sensation. In Paris Boccherini published a number of notable works, including a set of six string quartets. Following his successes there, Boccherini began writing and publishing prolifically.

In 1769 Boccherini and Manfredi journeyed to Spain, where the composer enjoyed great acclaim. Boccherini then took up another new genre, the string quintet. He in fact became best known for these works, written for string quartet with an additional cello. Now enjoying the benefits of a steady job, Boccherini married in 1771.

Boccherini's wife died of a stroke in 1785. That year his Spanish patron, Archbishop Don Luis, also died, leaving Boccherini without a position. He petitioned King Charles, asking to be retained in some musical position. Charles granted him a pension and assigned him various musical duties. There was an upturn in Boccherini's fortunes in 1786 when he was commissioned as "Composer of Our Chamber" by Friedrich Wilhelm, who was soon to become King of Prussia. Though he wrote most of his new music for Friedrich Wilhelm, Boccherini remained in Spain, where he wrote his only opera, a zarzuela called La clementina.

In 1787 Boccherini remarried. In 1796 he entered into an arrangement with publisher, composer, and piano manufacturer Ignaz Pleyel, who both praised and published Boccherini's works while cheating him of income. In February 1803, Boccherini was reported as living in "distress," but this is as likely from emotional depression as financial hardship, for in 1802 two of his daughters died from an epidemic within a few days of each other. In 1804 both his wife and his only living daughter died. It seems clear that Boccherini, although he continued to compose up to the end, had little interest in living, and died on May 28, 1805 of what was described as "pulmonary suffocation." He was buried in the Church of San Justo in Madrid. In 1927 his remains were disinterred and he was reburied in the Basilica of San Francesco in his hometown of Lucca.






Quintet for guitar & strings in C major ("La Ritirada di Madrid"), G. 453 (arrangement of Piano Quintet, G. 409)
Composer - Luigi Boccherini

Composition Date - 1799
Publication Date - 1925
Average Duration - 30:10

Composition Description by Emily Stoops
Boccherini's quintets for guitar and strings originally existed in two separate sets of six pieces. The first set exists in its entirety today, but unfortunately, only two of the second set have survived. Of the two remaining pieces, the Quintet No. 9 in C major, titled "La Ritirata di Madrid," was written late in the composer's career, probably around 1798. This piece stands out for its imaginative and pictorial fourth movement, which is based on Madrid, Boccherini's home during much of his life.

The first movement of the Quintet No. 9, Allegro Maestoso assai, is built on a march-like melody in C major that is good-natured and festive. It contains frequent contrasts between the playful first theme and more lyrical later themes. The guitar plays a virtuosic role, as do the first violin and the cello. The cello soars into the upper register at several points, which would seem unusual were it not for the fact that Boccherini himself was a virtuoso cellist. The various instruments are really of equal importance, because the melody (often heard in the violin or cello) is supported by active and playful inner parts. Boccherini uses syncopation throughout, which is a trademark of his style and helps sustain the energy and motion throughout this relatively long movement.

The second movement, Andantino, begins in the morose-sounding key of A minor and moves quickly back to C major. This alternation between major and minor creates a duel of sorts between the musical representations of joy and sorrow. Even the extensive cello solo that spends most of its time in major is eventually pulled into minor. A rhythmic pulse in the minor sections creates an undercurrent that is almost like a heartbeat. Toward the end of piece, the opening minor theme returns and comes to rest in the final key of A minor.

The carefree energy and playfulness of the third movement, Allegretto, exist in direct contrast to the sorrow of the previous movement. Played by the guitar and passed to the violin, the main theme dances along, complemented by light offbeats in the other voices. The simple melodies become more elaborate with Boccherini's use of trills and other ornamentation. The middle of the movement takes a foray into minor, echoing the mood of the previous movement, but this section is somewhat brief and moves back into the playful first theme to finish.

"La Ritirada di Madrid" (Retreat From Madrid) is the final movement, and is a theme and set of variations that Boccherini used in several of his earlier chamber works, including the Piano Quintet, Op. 57/6. Boccherini's intent was to create the image of a military troop approaching and retreating from Madrid. The movement opens at a very soft dynamic level and is almost imperceptible to the listener. The theme is simple, and rhythmically it resembles a military march, evoking memories of the march-like quality of the first movement. In the 11 variations that follow, each one grows slightly in dynamic level until the middle of the movement, Variation 6, where it reaches a dynamic high point. Boccherini's instructions for this variation are to imitate a drum, which the guitar does by strumming very strong rhythmic chords. The other instruments have fast, excited moving notes and the effect is that of a military parade passing by. From this midpoint, each of the following variations drops in volume until the music is once again imperceptible, evoking the image of the troop retreating and finally fading away in the distance.