Boccherini - Stabat Mater, String Quintet | Musica Ficta MF8026

Boccherini - Stabat Mater, String Quintet

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Label: Musica Ficta

Cat No: MF8026

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Release Date: 20th October 2017

Contents

Artists

Magali Leger (soprano)
Ensemble RosaSolis

Works

Boccherini, Luigi

Stabat Mater, G532
String Quintets (4), op.45 G355-358
» no.1 in C minor, G355

Artists

Magali Leger (soprano)
Ensemble RosaSolis

About

Luigi Boccherini produced only a modest amount of sacred music. We know, however, that he wrote sacred works throughout his life. The work which most of all represents Boccherini’s vocal output in the eyes of the wider public is the Stabat Mater, G532. It is the original version of the Stabat Mater composed in 1781 and scored for soprano and string quintet which is recorded here.

The Quintet op.45 no.1 featured on this disc is an unfamiliar work. It was written during March 1792, at which time Boccherini was employed as composer to the court of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. Referred to as an “Opera Grande” according to Boccherini’s classification, the piece is considered to be one of the maturest works of Boccherini’s German period: at a time of significant development in the string quintet, the composer attains a rare harmonic and melodic balance in which the two cellos, never doubling one another, attain an almost symphonic autonomy that erases all trace of their one-time continuo role.

Born of a long friendship, the ensemble RosaSolis was founded in 2003 by experienced musicians, all graduates of the Paris and Lyon Conservatories. They aim to share their passion for the vocal and instrumental music of the 17th and 18th centuries, which they approach in a thoroughly ‘chamber’ spirit: each musician is involved in the artistic decision-making and contributes to the group’s personality. The group soon met with success, reaching the final of the Bruges international chamber music competition in 2003. Nowadays, the musicians of RosaSolis belong to some of Europe’s most prestigious early music ensembles, pursue solo careers, and in some cases are also involved in teaching. Nevertheless, chamber music remains for them a favourite medium for presenting more personal musical projects and deepening their knowledge of their chosen repertoire. Over the years, their truthful, vibrant and sensuous interpretations have found favour with numerous festivals (Flâneries Musicales de Reims, Midis-Minimes Festival, Festival du Périgord Noir) and their audiences. Magali Léger is their principal vocal partner.

Besides concerts devoted to the masterpieces of the past or to the discovery of as yet unknown works, RosaSolis sets out to invent and explore new forms that can reach an ever-changing public. The ensemble has produced a number of entertainments, such as “The Sky of Ariadne” and “The Echo of a Dream”, in which baroque music, mingled with more contemporary modes of expression, emerges more expressive, livelier and ever more modern. In 2008 RosaSolis recorded its first CD of Handel motets and sonatas, released to critical acclaim on the Musica Ficta label (ffff Télérama, **** Classica). A second disc, featuring secular cantatas by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and trio sonatas by Nicola Porpora, was released in November 2010. The ensemble’s third CD came out in February 2014 and features trio sonatas by Jean-Marie Leclair. The ensemble has performed in numerous festivals, including the Sablé/Sarthe early music season, the Sinfonia Festival in Périgord, the Saint-Guilhem Festival, the Sylvanès Festival, the Avignon Early Music Festival, the Nantes Printemps des Arts, the Vochora Festival, the Souvigny Festival, the Pontoise Baroque Festival, the Tarentaise Baroque Festival and the Grand Théâtre in Aix-en-Provence.

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