At the age of 24, Luigi Boccherini arrived in Paris to seek his musical
fortune.  He soon found himself in highly regarded social circles and
hooked up with a Mme.  Brillon de Jouy who evidently was a superb keyboard
player, composer, and life of the party.  It is assumed that out of
gratitude for her support and who knows what else, Boccherini composed his
Sonatas Opus 5.  Although the autograph manuscript of the Opus 5 set is
scored for fortepiano and violin, they were published as "Sei Sonate Di
Cembalo E Violino Obbligato".

A new recording of the Opus 5 Sonatas has been released by Glossa with the
catalog number GCD 920306.  The performers are Jacques Ogg on harpsichord
and Emilio Moreno on violin.  In the liner notes, Mr. Moreno provides a
simple answer as to why the harpsichord is used in the recording - a
previous Tactus recording on fortepiano is so good that Moreno and Ogg felt
that greater marginal value would be derived from using the harpsichord for
their recording.  Also, the autograph manuscript allows less discretion for
the performers than the published version.

Boccherini is generally considered a "sunny disposition" composer, and
the six works of Opus 5 certainly support that premise.  Five of the
Sonatas are in major keys, and none of the music conveys the dark side of
the human condition.  Of course, all composers are products of their era,
and Boccherini composed in an era where optimistic and cheerful music was
expected.  Given the type of music presented by Boccherini, the primary
question is whether his works are essentially excellent 'wallpaper' music
or possess enough inspiration to warrant total concentration on the part
of the listener.

I've always had mixed feelings about the music of Boccherini.  On the
one hand, fluid melodies flow from his pen almost as effortlessly and
frequently as they do from Mozart.  Conversely, it can be difficult to
remember much about a Boccherini work, because many of his compositions
sound very much alike.

The new Glossa disc displays both the positive and negative aspects of
Boccherini's compositions.  The fast movements are energetic, light, and
pleaureable; slow movements are a little deeper but they never get close to
a significant degree of profundity.  There's nothing particularly memorable
in these six works, but the sixth Sonata is particularly banal.

Performances are fine; only so much can be done with these light works.
I would caution those potential buyers who don't care for the sharpness of
the baroque violin.  First, Moreno's violin is extremely sharp, sometimes
rather stringent.  Second, although the title of the Opus 5 works indicates
a violin obbligato role, I hear the violin as a full partner more forward
in the soundstage than the harpsichord.

Realizing that not all composers convey the depth that Bach does, I'd like
to be kind to this new issue.  However, 'pleaureable' and nothing more does
not rate premium price, and Glossa discs are very expensive in the USA.  I
listened in my car - very nice.  I listened while hanging a picture on the
wall - quite rewarding.  I listened with 100% concentration - not a good
idea.

Many years ago, I had a Nonesuch LP of Boccherini string quartets which
did possess much greater depth than his typical chamber works.  I don't
remember which string quintets those were, but nothing I have bought of
Boccherini since then has equaled the quality on that Nonesuch LP.

Don's Conclusions: Save some of your money and purchase one of the
Harmonia Mundi Boccherini CD's now reissued at mid or bargain price.
I honestly can't see putting out major bucks for this 'salon' type music.
The fact that I did just that is testimony to my buying addiction, not good
buying decisions.  For what it's worth, the review in Gramophone states,
"This is a most desireable and elegantly prepared disc and, moreover, the
only available recording of these sonatas".  What the reviewer doesn't tell
us is that plenty of other Boccherini compositions bear a significant
resemblance to the Opus 5 Sonatas and may be had at less than full price.
The Glossa packaging is quite elegant, but that aspect means nothing when
listening to the music.  If you do purchase this new disc, buy some
wallpaper on the same shopping trip.

Don Satz
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