Boccherini's own thematic catalogue of his works was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, and a complete catalogue was only published in 1969 by Yves Gérard.
Performer Biography
Many leading British composers, including Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Sir John Tavener, have written works for Raphael Wallfisch, the cellist on this album.
Compositional Technique
Boccherini's cello concertos exploit virtuoso technique, often featuring extremely fast passage-work in the highest registers of the instrument, sometimes with additional double-stopping.
Performer Biography
Raphael Wallfisch, the cellist on this recording, was chosen to perform chamber music with Jascha Heifetz while studying with Gregor Piatigorsky in California.
Composer Biography
Luigi Boccherini, the composer of these cello concertos, came from a cultured family; his elder brother Giovanni Gastone was a poet and librettist for composers like Salieri and Haydn.
Composition History
The twelfth cello concerto by Boccherini, featured on this album, was only discovered in 1987 in a library in Naples.
Composer Biography
Boccherini made his debut as a cellist at the age of thirteen and, at barely fifteen, made a deep impression on the Viennese musical establishment.
You might also enjoy...
L. Boccherini: Cello Concertos - Nos. 1, 2, 3, 8 (Monighetti, Berlin Akademie fur Alte Musik)
Boccherini: Cello Concertos Nos. 4, 5, 6 & 7
Luigi Boccherini: Concerti per Violoncello Vol. 2
Boccherini: Concertos pour violoncelle, G. 479 & 480
