Luigi Boccherini is not usually associated with the grand gestures of opera seria, but rather the refined delicacy of chamber music, as the prolific composer of more than eighty trios, ninety string quartets and a hundred and fifty quintets. His family background however was rooted in the theatre – his father Leopoldo was a singer. Luigi took up the cello and showed early talent as player and composer with a concerto as early as 1756, when he had just turned 13. In 1758 he accompanied his father to Vienna to play in the orchestras of the Burgtheater and Kärtnertortheater. Ten years later he finally ended up in Spain where he remained for the rest of his life. On arrival Boccherini joined the newly formed orchestra that produced Italian operas in royal properties outside Madrid. In 1770 he entered the service of Don Luis as Compositore e Virtuoso di Camera and on Don Luis’ death, became chamber composer to Frederick William of Prussia (at long distance – he never visited Prussia himself) which continued to ensure that his output focussed almost exclusively on chamber music. Had he remained in the world of the theatre, it is possible that he would have produced more dramatic works in addition to the very few that survive. The circumstances of composition and dating of the eighteen surviving concert arias are unknown since virtually all Boccherini’s personal scores are lost. None of the arie accademiche can be securely dated though they are speculatively placed between 1786 and 1792. The fact that Boccherini was married to a soprano has prompted speculation that some may have been written for his wife and that G557, with its incredibly difficult obbligato cello part, was performed by husband and wife together – a charming thought. While these concert arias do not perhaps indicate that the world lost a great dramatic composer when Boccherini chose to follow a different musical path, their fluid melodic invention and arresting dramatic effects confirm that he is well able to stand in the company of his more famous contemporaries. The soloist couple on the album, Sandra and Guillermo Pastrana, are not husband and wife but sister and brother, but the alchemistry works very well indeed. Sandra Pastrana has already performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, the Liceu in Barcelona, La Fenice in Venice, the Tokyo Opera, the San Carlo in Naples and scores other famous venues. © SM/Qobuz