Divertimenti da Camera Op. II

Corelli”s influence, which can be see in the Opera II Divertimenti per camera a violino, violone, cimbalo, flauto e mandola recorded here, does not in itself prove that Boni was in fact at any timehis student. The title of op. 2 refers to a larger ensemble of instruments than that which appears in the titles of his other works. This is not surprising if one considers that the composer often left to the performers the choice of instruments most suitable to the various sonatas. We can thus imagine a group of five instruments which would have alternated in the performance of the pieces. With this consideration in mind, it seemed opportune to add to the mandolin the somewhat contiguous timbre of the harpsichord. This choice was dictated by the desire both to highlight theindivisibility of the musical discourse-at times to the point of suggesting the idea of a sonata for a single instrument-and, simultaneously, to provide the mandolin with a solid structural framework and adequate harmonic support. Nonetheless, an attempt has been made here to present Boni”s works in a manner which sheds light on his spirited inventiveness rather than on his undeniable concessions to fashion