These sonatas were likely written for Boccherini's personal use, serving as a 'visiting card' to showcase his extraordinary technical skills to patrons and potential employers.
Compositional Technique
Boccherini was innovative in his cello writing, daring to use the thumb in higher positions, which was uncommon for his time.
Critical Reception
Publishers of Boccherini's time preferred easier works for amateurs, but these sonatas were considered so difficult that one critic, Forino, called them "almost unplayable by modern cellists."
Composer's Artistic Vision
Luigi Boccherini, the composer, believed that music should speak to the human heart and that performers are essential in conveying the composer's intentions.
Instruments
The main performer, Gaetano Nasillo, plays a violoncello made by Barak Norman in London around 1710.
Interpretation
For this recording, different instruments are used for the bass line, including a second cello, a harp, a harpsichord, or a violin, to reflect authentic historical performance practices.
Composition History
Boccherini's solo cello sonatas were composed during his early career while he traveled between Vienna and Italy, seeking permanent employment.
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