Sutivan

About composers

Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (1743–1805)
was a notable Italian composer and cellist who had a significant impact on the development of the string quartet as a musical genre. Luigi Rodolfo was the third child of Leopoldo Boccherini, a double-bass player and the brother of Giovanni Gastoni Boccherini, a renowned poet and dancer who wrote librettos for Antonio Salieri and Joseph Haydn. In 1756, he was sent to Rome to study under the renowned cellist Giovanni Battista Costanzi, the musical director at Saint Peter's Basilica. During his time in Rome, Boccherini was influenced by the polyphonic tradition, inspired by the works of Giovanni da Palestrina and the instrumental music of Arcangelo Corelli. During his visit to Vienna in 1760, at the age of 17, he made his debut as a composer with his Six Trios for Two Violins and Cello, G 77–82. Boccherini spent time in Lombardy in 1765, playing in the orchestra of Giovanni Battista Sammartini. During this period, his association with Sammartini contributed to the development of the new "conversational" style of the quartet, where the cello's line became as significant as the counterpoint of the violin and viola. Boccherini organised the first public string quartet performance, featuring an exceptional ensemble of Tuscan virtuosos, including himself, Pietro Nardini, Filippo Manfredi, and Giuseppe Cambini. The Spanish ambassador convinced Boccherini to move to Madrid in 1769, where he began his extensive stay at the court of Charles III. Boccherini started composing string quintets, and his well-known Six String Quartets, G 177–182 (1772), were also finished there. As well, he accepted patronage from Frederick William II of Prussia, whowas an amateur cellist. Boccherini was renowned for his chamber music, which comprised more than 100 quintets, quartets, trios, and other chamber works, but his impressive repertoire of about 500 compositions also includes sacred music, symphonies, and concerti.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
is a composer whose music reflects the tumultuous history of 20th-century Russia. Born in Saint Petersburg, Shostakovich showed exceptional talent from an early age and entered the Petrograd Conservatory at just 13. His prodigious abilities quickly earned him recognition as a musical prodigy. His First Symphony, composed at age 19, marked the emergence of a new musical voice that would leave an indelible mark on the world. Throughout his life, Shostakovich faced immense political pressure under the Soviet regime. His artistic choices often balanced the demands of the state with his inner
creative convictions, leading to music that was both daringly innovative and imbued with
profound emotional depth. The Fifth Symphony, premiered in 1937, epitomises this duality.
Initially perceived as a triumphant celebration of Soviet society, it also harboured hidden
layers of dissent, offering veiled critiques of the oppressive political climate. During World
War II, Shostakovich composed his stirring Seventh Symphony, a defiant response to the
Nazi siege of his beloved city. In the post-war era, Shostakovich faced the wrath of Soviet
authorities due to his opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk," which they denounced as "formalist" and "bourgeois." Despite facing personal and professional challenges, he
persevered, composing a deeply personal body of work, including string quartets that
unflinchingly explored human emotions and the human condition. Throughout his career,
Shostakovich continued to push musical boundaries, using innovative techniques and
experimentation to create works that blended contemporary aesthetics with rich Russian
traditions.