Only last month I reviewed a recording of the Cello Concerto in B flat arranged by Friedrich Grutzmacher (CBS IM39964, MK39964, 2/88) that has long been Boccherini's best-known work (his famous minuet apart). Here we have the two concertos of which it is compounded, in something much closer to their original form. There are a number of unanswered, probably unanswerable questions about them: first, whether they are authentic—no autograph survives and they are unmentioned in Boccherini's catalogue of his works; secondly, of the B flat, whether it was really intended to be played exactly as it has come down to us. Probably the B flat and G major works at least are by Boccherini. The odd thing about the B flat Concerto is that much of its harmony doesn't work: in most of the solo music Boccherini (assuming it is his) accompanied the soloists only with the upper strings, and time after time the bass of the music finds itself above, or crossing over, the melody it is meant to be supporting. That is how it is played on this record, and it often sounds quite strange. The Eulenburg miniature score puts the viola part down an octave and gives it to the cellos, which, by and large, makes good sense; maybe the composer envisaged something of the kind, or a continuo player who kept the bass where it belongs (that is at the bottom). Whatever the case, this unpretentious work is much to be preferred without Grutzmacher's rewriting. Its slow movement, however, is a somewhat bland piece and it is easy to see why Grutzmacher, looking for fervid romantic expression, chose to drop it in favour of the more obviously eloquent Adagio of the graceful and amiable G major work.
The less familiar E flat Concerto seems to me on a lower level, with few things typical of Boccherini and several decidedly untypical; it would not surprise me if it turned out to be someone else's. Whoever's it is, this concerto and the others receive very stylish and pleasing performances here. The bravura cello writing is not easy, and sometimes doesn't sound it, but Wouter Moller does pretty well: he has a gentle, pleasantly evanescent tone with an agreeable hint of wiriness and plays the slow movements duly expressively. The accompaniments are competent, perhaps a shade bland. l won't pretend this is the most gripping of records, and certainly the B flat Concerto is at times discommoding to listen to for the reasons I have explained, but it is good to have access to this music in something close to authentic form and in stylish performances, well recorded.'