Unlike Mozart's string quintets, Cambini's quintets follow the tradition established by Luigi Boccherini, featuring two violins, one viola, and two cellos, creating distinct treble and bass groupings.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Cambini believed that chamber music should allow the listener to forget "the worries and concerns of this hard life," requiring "master musicians" to achieve this goal.
Composition History
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer, accused Cambini of sabotaging the performance of his Sinfonia concertante in Paris in 1778.
Composer Biography
Cambini was one of the most successful and influential personalities in the Paris music scene during his flourishing years.
Interpretation
Ensemble Entr'Acte, founded by violinist Plamena Nikitassova, performs 18th and 19th-century chamber music on period instruments, aiming to free the repertoire from 20th-century performance norms.
Composition History
Cambini composed his string quintets for Armand-Jean François Seguin, a wealthy chemist and industrialist who hosted private concerts in his Paris palace.
Composer Biography
Giuseppe Maria Cambini, the composer, was born around 1746 in Livorno and died around 1825 in Paris or the Netherlands, apparently poor and forgotten.
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