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Prolific composers tend to be devalued, Haydn and Mozart excepted of course. The thinking seems to be that if Vivaldi, Milhaud, Hovhaness, and (fill in the blanks with your own candidates) wrote that much, then they either repeated themselves ad infinitum or just spun notes to fill otherwise empty days. Even profligate melodists come under the same cloud; if Dvorák, for example, couldn't set pen to paper without creating a beautiful melody, it's taken as a sign of superficiality. Boccherini is a prime example of a prolific composer tarred by that bizarre brush, both his huge output and his melodic gifts being relegated to secondary status by the canon police. One hearing of this fabulous disc of three two-cello quintets from his Op. 25 set, drawn from the 100 or so quintets he wrote, should put such absurdities to rest. The enormously skilled players from Europa Galante, one of the few period bands that combines musicality and authenticity, make these delightful works come to life with irresistible vivacity and drive. They grab you from the start--the energetic attacks in the first movement of Op. 25 No. 6 put you on notice that this won't be the sugar-coated Boccherini of yore. The equivalent movement of Op. 25 No. 4 is played with a deliciously witty swagger and perfect sense of timing, with neatly placed rubatos and transitions. These five players are wonderful in the slow movements too, capturing the singing line of No. 6's Largo cantabile, the ghostly qualities of No. 4's Larghetto, and the mystery of the opening Larghetto of No. 1. Throughout, they're alive to Boccherini's surprising twists and idiosyncratic rhythms, with first violinist and Europa Galante conductor Fabio Bondi's solo turns demonstrating why he's also the top period violinist of our day. As a filler, Virgin adds Boccherini's best-known work, the Menuetto from the Op. 11 No. 5 Quintet, fondly remembered as the piece Alec Guinness and his mob pretended to rehearse in the 1955 British comedy, The Ladykillers. The engineers match the musicians, providing sound that's present and natural--these wonderful players are in your room!--Dan Davis, ClassicsToday.com

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1. String Quintet in A minor Op. 25 No. 6 (G300): I. Allegro non molto
2. String Quintet in A minor Op. 25 No. 6 (G300): II. Minuetto
3. String Quintet in A minor Op. 25 No. 6 (G300): III. Largo cantabile
4. String Quintet in A minor Op. 25 No. 6 (G300): IV. Finale : Allegro giusto
5. String Quintet in C major Op. 25 No. 4 (G298): I. Allegro
6. String Quintet in C major Op. 25 No. 4 (G298): II. Larghetto
7. String Quintet in C major Op. 25 No. 4 (G298): III. Minuetto
8. String Quintet in C major Op. 25 No. 4 (G298): IV. Allegro
9. String Quintet in D minor Op. 25 No. 1 (G295): I. Larghetto
10. String Quintet in D minor Op. 25 No. 1 (G295): II. Allegro
11. String Quintet in D minor Op. 25 No. 1 (G295): III. Minuetto con moto
12. String Quintet in D minor Op. 25 No. 1 (G295): IV. Rondeau allegretto
13. String Quintet in E major Op. 11 No. 5 (G275): Minuetto in A