
As sort of prep work for Lucchesini's upcoming Schubert twofer, I popped for the high res download of this disc. I had previously streamed via my phone, but proper listening yielded even better results - and results were fantastic before. The proper sound and playback gear yielded entirely more satisfying Scarlatti, with ample rhythmic swagger. And Lucchesini owns Berio's music. (Literally in the case of the pieces written for the pianist and his wife as a wedding present.) It would take someone of the stature of YES or Volodos or Anderszewski to challenge Lucchesini here.
But the Schubert, well, that is what I really wanted. The Moments Musicaux are sublime, on par with any recordings out there. In the case of the Air russe, I am hard pressed to think of a better version. The Widmann works are better than expected, too. Lucchesini alternates between Scarlatti and Berio to start, and Schubert and Widmann to end, and some may dislike this approach, but it works fantastically well.