Ensemble Explorations

For the benefit of this Haydn-Boccherini concert, Roel Dieltiens enlarged his Ensemble Explorations into a small chamber orchestra. The 'First Cello Concerto' by Haydn is a short masterpiece, which was discovered at the National Museum in Prague only some decades ago. It has in the meantime taken its place among the other great cello concertos. The finale resembles a firework and is undoubtedly just up the alley of cellist Dieltiens. The 'Fourth Violin Concerto' can be attributed to Haydn not with absolute certainty. It is most likely the oldest of the four violin concertos and was written before the composer took up residence in Esterhaza. The string quintets with two cellos form a substantial part of the work of Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805). The work of Boccherini - who was dubbed "Haydn's wife" by the violinist Puppo - is at once very rhythmic, sensual, and seductive, melodically, as well as in timbre. Boccherini, an Italian living in Spain, regularly took on themes from Spanish folklore, giving his music a distinctive 'local colour'. His slower movements are often highly expressive à la Schubert. In the 'Quintet in F', there is a considerable contrast between the liveliness of the first movement and the pathos of the following Largo. The 'large' 'Quintet in G' from Opus 29 is among the absolute masterpieces of Boccherini.