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Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Concerto No. 2 for Cello, G.479, D Major
Boccherini was born in Lucca, Italy, and as a youngster he enjoyed the musical tutelage of his father, who was a professional bass player. Since the youthful Boccherini was physically too small for the bass, his father taught him the cello. Before he had reached the age of 14, Boccherini had already performed professionally in Giovanni Battista Sammartini's orchestra. While the youngster was only 14 yeard old, he travelled to Vienna and heard the music of Haydn for the first time. The early exposure to the music of Haydn would later prove to be greatly influential on Boccherini's compositional style.
Following his cello studies in Rome in 1747, he returned home to Lucca as a virtuoso cellist. Boccherini began to reveal his own compositions to audiences throughout Europe as he performed as a soloist. He was a prolific composer, and besides the cello concerti, his works include 137 string quintets, 91 string quartets, 65 trios, two operas, and one mass. During his life Boccherini received distinguished acclaim for his widely published compositions.
The Concerto No. 2 for Cello, G.479, D Major is not as familiar to many listeners as his famous D Major or B Flat Major cello concerti. But this concerto offers the listener the same refinement, lyricism, and elegant charm. The first movement begins with an energetic theme. The violins play a florid thematic statement, which is stated with flowing triplets and ornamentation. Although the opening tutti employs all the strings, eventually the basso drops from the texture. Later in the piece the violins stand alone to accompany the solo cello line. The elimination of the basso provides a technique that moves this concerto closer to the Classical style than to that of the Baroque. The second movement highlights a warm and expressive lyrical solo line. The third movement concludes the concerto with as much verve as it began, and it allows the listener to experience cello virtuosity at its best.
-- program notes by Laurien Jones