Boccherini was the first composer to incorporate Spanish folk music and mannerisms into his compositions, despite calling Spanish musicians "inveterate barbarians."
Composition History
Boccherini was commissioned by the Countess-Duchess María Josefa de Benavente-Osuna in 1786 to direct a small chamber orchestra and organize concerts in her Madrid palace.
Performer Biography
Les Ombres, the ensemble performing on this album, was founded by Margaux Blanchard and Sylvain Sartre, who met at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Composition History
Boccherini often rearranged older compositions to sell them as new works, a practice also common among his predecessors like Vivaldi, Telemann, Bach, and Handel.
Composer Biography
Luigi Boccherini, an Italian composer and virtuoso cellist, ultimately considered Spain his "native land" after spending nearly forty years there.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Boccherini viewed music as a living, contextual phenomenon where the spirit and manner of performance were as important as the written score.
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