COMPOSERS: Domenico Scarlatti
LABELS: Teldec Das Alte Werk
WORKS: Sonatas
PERFORMER: Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
CATALOGUE NO: 0630-12601-2 DDD
If you want just one disc representing Scarlatti’s output of over 550 sonatas, you might do worse than settle for this. The 18 selected are not among the best known, but they offer variety and some real plums. Staier adopts Kirkpatrick’s suggested pairings, but sometimes ignores repeats. In the slower pieces he uses a lot of rubato, de-synchronises his hands, spreads chords and adds extra ornamentation. In the fast sonatas he’s passionate and dashing. The instrument is a modern American one based on mid-18th-century models, and it makes a gorgeous sound. Adrian Jack
Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas
If you want just one disc representing Scarlatti’s output of over 550 sonatas, you might do worse than settle for this. The 18 selected are not among the best known, but they offer variety and some real plums. Staier adopts Kirkpatrick’s suggested pairings, but sometimes ignores repeats. In the slower pieces he uses a lot of rubato, de-synchronises his hands, spreads chords and adds extra ornamentation. In the fast sonatas he’s passionate and dashing. The instrument is a modern American one based on mid-18th-century models, and it makes a gorgeous sound. Adrian Jack
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:09 pm