Boccherini: Complete Guitar Quintets

"If you're looking for a set of Luigi Boccherini's complete guitar quintets on original instruments, you need look no further than this splendid two-disc set by the wonderfully named string ensemble La Magnifica Comunità with the equally delightfully named guitarist Eros Roselli. And if you're not looking for a set of Boccherini's guitar quintets, why in heaven's name not? Each work is a sparkling gem with different dazzling surfaces from the D minor with its delectable Cantabile through the D major with its evocative Fandango to the C major with its well-known and well-loved "La Ritirada di Madrid." And every performance here is a winner. The Italian period-instrument string players are not as dry as their northern European counterparts and La Magnifica Comunità's tone and ensemble here hit just the right balance between sweet and tart. Guitarist Roselli has a light, firm touch with just a hint of vibrato to sustain the work's long, lyrical lines. Recorded in very atmospheric yet still quite clear sound in 2005, these discs will charm anyone interested in either chamber music of the classical period or, for that matter, chamber music from any period featuring the guitar" (AllMusic.com)