ALEXANDRE PIERRE FRANÇOIS BOËLY (1785-1858): Piano Sonatas in C Minor, Op. 1/1 and in G, Op. 1/2, 20 Caprices ou Pièces d'Etude.

Description: Along with Méhul, Jardin and Boieldieu, Boëly was one of the first generation of French post-Revolution composers to concentrate on instrumental music. The pair of sonatas from 1808 have a whiff of Beethoven about them: a minor-key whirl of tension and emotion à la Pathétique and a spontaneous and sparkling major key fellow. The Caprices date from around 1816 and contain everything from glances back at Bach and Scarlatti to Schubertian Moments musicaux and Mendelssohnian Songs Without Words. Christine Schornsheim (1808 Erard and 1802 Erard Table-piano [Caprices]).