# Boccherini Edition - Brilliant Classics



## classicalcpa80 (5 mo ago)

Does anyone have the Brilliant Classics Boccherini Edition (37-cd)? I’m normally wary about these “big box” collections from Brilliant Classics, but based on my listening to some of the individual releases from La Magnifica Comunita (who play the quintets here), I’m actually very interested in this collection.

Would love to hear any opinions of this set, or any of the individual recordings from this set. 

With some exceptions, I’m not generally a fan of period instruments, especially pianoforte and early modern guitar, but these sound pretty good—especially strings.

Regarding pianoforte, this four-discs of the piano quintets in this collection are played by Ensemble Claviere with the keyboard being a pianoforte. I like what I heard, but it seems like the pianoforte is drowned out by the strings. Is this supposed to be the case? Perhaps, unlike piano trios from Haydn, the piano is not supposed to be the “main” instrument here? I want to like
these piano quintets, but not
sure if the piano is supposed to be so quiet sounding. I know pianoforte is not nearly as loud as modern piano, but this one just sounds too quiet.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I agree that Boccherini was a fine and underrated composer - but 37 cd's worth of "Haydn on weed" could be a tad much.
I've got a couple of Naxos disks with selected quartets and quintets, and those do the trick nicely.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

JPC has a offer :







https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Luigi-Boccherini-1743-1805-Luigi-Boccherini-Edition/hnum/2883759?lang=en


37 CD'S fore 49.95 euro


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## classicalcpa80 (5 mo ago)

RobertJTh said:


> I agree that Boccherini was a fine and underrated composer - but 37 cd's worth of "Haydn on weed" could be a tad much.
> I've got a couple of Naxos disks with selected quartets and quintets, and those do the trick nicely.


😆 Maybe 37 cds non-stop, but I’m in no hurry. I’ve “gotten through” all 104 Haydn symphonies, all the string quartets, and piano sonatas. I still haven’t finished the approximately 35 cd collection of the Scarlatti sonatas played by Scott Ross, though, even as wonderful as it is.


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## classicalcpa80 (5 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> JPC has a offer :
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, saw that on Amazon US for about $65 USD. Got a birthday coming up and been eyeing that and the John Field “box set” from Naxos.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Boccherini is a fun Composer. Not so serious. Similar to Haydn and Mozart.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

I notice only 2 cd’s for his Symphonies. It should be a lot more.


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## classicalcpa80 (5 mo ago)

neoshredder said:


> I notice only 2 cd’s for his Symphonies. It should be a lot more.


It doesn’t claim to be complete, unless you’re just saying it’s deserving of more of his symphonies. Even the quintets aren’t complete yet. 

It’s a shame there aren’t more recordings of a lot of his works, including the symphonies. I’m not a huge fan of period strings (there are some exceptions for me), but at least we’re slowly getting more of his music recorded, even if most are HIP performances. There is still a LOT to go, though.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

classicalcpa80 said:


> It doesn’t claim to be complete, unless you’re just saying it’s deserving of more of his symphonies. Even the quintets aren’t complete yet.
> 
> It’s a shame there aren’t more recordings of a lot of his works, including the symphonies. I’m not a huge fan of period strings (there are some exceptions for me), but at least we’re slowly getting more of his music recorded, even if most are HIP performances. There is still a LOT to go, though.


CPO has 8 volumes of his Symphonies.


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## classicalcpa80 (5 mo ago)

I see the CPO recordings of the symphonies are complete. I don’t know why but I thought he had more than 28 symphonies. Probably just because his output, in general, is so big.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Not complete but there used to be a Boccherini edition on Capriccio (with Goya paintings of the royal Spanish family on the covers, they were also in a cardboard box) that might be findable cheaply and has an excellent cross section (10 or 12 discs)
As for the chamber music with piano, there is one (or two?) discs on harmonia mundi with Staier (Ensemble is called Les Adieux, I think) from around 1990 that is quite good. I think these works are all arrangements anyway, quite a bit of chamber music by Boccherini exists in different versions.
(Have not heard any of the Brilliant Classics.)


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