Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

[Mandryka]

I listened to the first one, op 25/5 - lovely instrument, well recorded and charming music. Some parts of the sonata sounded a bit like Haydn, others like Beethoven.  I just have no patience for this sort of thing at the moment.

[Todd]

Jed Distler praised Eylam Keshet's Scarlatti so highly that I had to hear it.  The praise is well earned.  Keshet is basically about rhythmic acuity married to exquisite touch.  K228 is a marvel under his fingers, and both K338 and K352 are not too far behind.  Not only do I want to hear him play more Scarlatti, but I want to hear him play everything else, starting with Mozart and Chabrier.

[Karl Henning]

Que & Poul: Back in the deeps of Time, when there was a Borders on Washington Street in Boston, I picked up 3 volumes of the then-ongoing (I think) Pieter-Jan Belder series. While I do indeed enjoy the Scott Ross set, it was this taste via Belder which drew me down the Scarlatti rabbithole.

[Karl Henning]

Al que quiere, pianist Sandro Ivo Bartoli uploads one or more sonatas each day on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/v/yzLYuU97pD0

https://www.youtube.com/v/EWRSHcJ29SY

https://www.youtube.com/v/7EUCBWCMbDE

[prémont]

Que & Poul: Back in the deeps of Time, when there was a Borders on Washington Street in Boston, I picked up 3 volumes of the then-ongoing (I think) Pieter-Jan Belder series. While I do indeed enjoy the Scott Ross set, it was this taste via Belder which drew me down the Scarlatti rabbithole.

i can say, that Belders set was instrumental in increasing my interest in Scarlattis sonatas, much more so than the recordings by Scott Rush.

[Mandryka]

Scott Rush.

Good to see you're on form.

[amw]

Harpsichord sound plays a major role in my appreciation of a recording, but apparently not in the way it does for most people, since I found Scott Ross's harpsichord consistently out of tune (i.e. he uses a particularly unequal temperament), coarse sounding, and colourless. Most people seem to love it. (My reference for ideal harpsichord sound is Céline Frisch's WTC.) That makes Belder my favourite Scarlatti integral, but I'm not sure if it's because the performances are particularly good or simply because I like the instruments he plays on.

[prémont]

Good to see you're on form.

See PM.

[Mandryka]

Harpsichord sound plays a major role in my appreciation of a recording, but apparently not in the way it does for most people, since I found Scott Ross's harpsichord consistently out of tune (i.e. he uses a particularly unequal temperament), coarse sounding, and colourless. Most people seem to love it. (My reference for ideal harpsichord sound is Céline Frisch's WTC.) That makes Belder my favourite Scarlatti integral, but I'm not sure if it's because the performances are particularly good or simply because I like the instruments he plays on.

A copy of the Nuremberg Vater (1738) in WTC, which Dantone uses for Vol 7 of the Stradivarius Scarlatti series, Dantone is rather better recorded in the bass notes - less cavernous.

Fuck, that's just so nerdy. What have I become? I'm out of here.

[Karl Henning]

i can say, that Belders set was instrumental in increasing my interest in Scarlattis sonatas, much more so than the recordings by Scott Rush.

I should revisit Belder. Fact is, I was interested in a full set by Belder, but couldn't find it.

[Mandryka]

A copy of the Nuremberg Vater (1738) in WTC, which Dantone uses for Vol 7 of the Stradivarius Scarlatti series, Dantone is rather better recorded in the bass notes - less cavernous.

Fuck, that's just so nerdy. What have I become? I'm out of here.

Well despite my outburst last night I can confirm this morning that that Dantone is very good - on streaming platforms in the UK at least, and a great pleasure to dip into.

[prémont]

I should revisit Belder. Fact is, I was interested in a full set by Belder, but couldn't find it.

It's obviously OOP. The only option may be to look for a second hand item.

[milk]

I'm trying this on a whim:

I have to say I like this piano and the way it's recorded.

[SonicMan46]

Scarlatti, Domenico (1685-1757) - Essercizi, K. 1-30 w/ Alain Planès on a fortepiano (Johann Schantz, Vienna, ca. 1800) - I like D. Scarlatti on both harpsichord and piano, but my first recording on an in-between competitor - reviews attached (including one from our own Jens).  I owned the 3 early Pierre Hantaï recordings, below are 3 newer releases which I've not purchased but did a listen on a Spotify playlist. My piano discs include Angela Hewitt (2), Yevgeny Sudbin (2), and Mikhail Pletnev (2) - for those interested, I've put together a Numbers spreadsheet converted to PDF (second attachment) that shows which sonatas are being played by all of these performers.  Dave

     

[Mandryka]

Scarlatti, Domenico (1685-1757) - Essercizi, K. 1-30 w/ Alain Planès on a fortepiano (Johann Schantz, Vienna, ca. 1800) - I like D. Scarlatti on both harpsichord and piano, but my first recording on an in-between competitor - reviews attached (including one from our own Jens).  I owned the 3 early Pierre Hantaï recordings, below are 3 newer releases which I've not purchased but did a listen on a Spotify playlist. My piano discs include Angela Hewitt (2), Yevgeny Sudbin (2), and Mikhail Pletnev (2) - for those interested, I've put together a Numbers spreadsheet converted to PDF (second attachment) that shows which sonatas are being played by all of these performers.  Dave

     

I wonder if you would enjoy an organ or a clavichord recital. Maybe use Spotify to check the discs by Andrea Marcon and by Johannes Maria Bogner.

[aukhawk]

Planès definitely looks interesting.  I enjoyed the energy and modernity of the first two Hantai sets, but listening to the later ones I found his style wearing rather thin.

[prémont]

Planès definitely looks interesting.  I enjoyed the energy and modernity of the first two Hantai sets, but listening to the later ones I found his style wearing rather thin.

I fully agree with you on Hantaï. At the end of the day he is not my man.

As to Planes, he offers some beautiful and imaginative playing, but it's a bit frustrating that he didn't take the full step and used a fortepiano from Scarlatti's time. Using a Schantz is neither nor.

[Que]

[...] the recordings by Scott Rush.

[SonicMan46]

I wonder if you would enjoy an organ or a clavichord recital. Maybe use Spotify to check the discs by Andrea Marcon and by Johannes Maria Bogner.

Hi Mandryka - well, I do have a guitar version, but took your advice and found the clavichord and organ recordings shown below on Spotify - just completed a listen and enjoyed both - now rather pricey on Amazon USA and not sure that I need the physical discs, so my Spotify playlist should serve me well if I want alternate instruments - thanks for the suggestions.  Dave

 

[SonicMan46]

I fully agree with you on Hantaï. At the end of the day he is not my man.

As to Planes, he offers some beautiful and imaginative playing, but it's a bit frustrating that he didn't take the full step and used a fortepiano from Scarlatti's time. Using a Schantz is neither nor.

Well, as to selection of the Schantz fortepiano, the liner notes state the instrument was in great shape for ca. 1800 (earlier ones, if pre-1757, may not have been?) and the feel was more like a harpsichord, so considered a good choice as a transitional instrument.  Quoted below are some fun snippets from Jens review that I linked in my previous post, for those interested.  Dave

......That sorry hybrid of an instrument has had a troubled past, usually offending both pianists and harpsichordists, by offering the worst of two worlds with few of their respective good qualities.....Here now is further proof that the twangy transition bastard, that twilight creature of keyboard development, presents in itself some very pleasing characteristics.....Alain Planès's playing is vigorous, full of conviction, and ready at any point to convey the joy that lies within each exercise. His Schantz pianoforte's unique sound merits the recording alone.