Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

[Karl Henning]

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

     

In fun timing, Sandro Ivo Bartoli just celebrated finishing his Scarlatti survey with a video of the complete Essercizi per Gravicembalo, K. 1-30 let me know what you think, Dave.

https://www.youtube.com/v/bCRzEwIYm-c

[prémont]

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. 

The feel was more like a harpsichord? More than what? And does it refer to the sound or to the touch?

And copies of fortepianos from before 1750 have been made at least during the last twenty years. Others have recorded Scarlatti on such instruments.

[Karl Henning]

I should blush to say something so obvious, but I am immediately taken with the superficial similarity in subject between the K. 30 and the Royal Theme for the BWV 1079

https://www.youtube.com/v/84g9aFOuFd4

[prémont]

I should blush to say something so obvious, but I am immediately taken with the superficial similarity in subject between the K. 30 and the Royal Theme for the BWV 1079

You know, according to tradition the Royal Theme is composed by Frederick the Great.  However I have never thought of any - even superficial - similarity with the "cat" fugue.

[Karl Henning]

You know, according to tradition the Royal Theme is composed by Frederick the Great.  However I have never thought of any - even superficial - similarity with the "cat" fugue.

I'm thinking primarily of the opening ascending gestures: G - B^b - E^b - F# VS. C - E^b - G - A^b Not a close resemblance, to be sure.

[Mandryka]

Silvia Rambardi has recorded two really special CDs of Italian music, Frescobaldi, Andrea Gabrieli, Pasquini, Merula,  et al.   

Booklet for this unusual release here -- the performances are colourful, and  full of harpsichord effects.  Tasteful though, rather than dazzling.

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/36/000212863.pdf

[Brian]

I have not been keeping up carefully with all the Naxos series of complete sonatas, but Jed Distler's new CT review of Vol. 30 calls it a new low and gives it an artistic score of 2 out of 10, audio score of 5 out of 10!

EDIT: Across 30 volumes, Naxos has recorded 518 sonatas by my count, leaving just 37 to go. 18 on one disc, 19 on another, and only two remain?

And another question. Distler has not published reviews of all 32 volumes. Can we make Todd do it?

EDIT 2: For those curious or OCD (like me), Distler's reviews break down as follows:
Glowing!: Vols. 5, 7, 15 (see below), 22
Pretty positive: Vols. 2, 6, 12, 14, 16, 28
Mixed bags: Vols. 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 21
Negative: Vols. 11, 30
Not reviewed: Vols. 13, 15 (which is praised as one of the best in the review of 16), 17-20, 23-27, 29

(I am going off the tone of the reviews, not the numerical scores, with my admittedly subjective classification scheme. He says "antipode" a lot!)

[aukhawk]

Of the ones I've heard, I especially like vol.19 (Filipec).  I think vol.1 is better than 'mixed bag' too.

[kyjo]

I've more or less ignored Scarlatti's music over the course of my musical traversals until now - a grave mistake if there ever was one! I (somewhat) rectified this by listening to the below 2-CD set of various keyboard sonatas of his played brilliantly by Pletnev on a modern piano:



This is undoubtedly one some of the most vibrant, colorful, characterful, and harmonically adventurous music composed in the Baroque period - and not just that period! Scarlatti was nothing if not a master of concision, and packs a lot of interesting material in typically just 3-6 minutes of music. Most of the major key sonatas are ebullient and virtuosic, often pervaded with a sense of humor, while the minor key ones are quite melancholy and introspective, providing appropriate contrast. Another element that makes his music particularly distinctive is the frequent "Spanish" flavoring that is present, reflecting the fact that he spent the last 25 years of his life in Spain. Pletnev is an ideal performer of this music, capturing its mercurial nature and bringing out the quirky elements that make it so infectious. Absolutely wonderful stuff!

[Opus131]

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.

Well, we don't love the "sound" (sounds fine to me but it's not the main draw to his set) we just love the performance. Scott Ross had a straight forward, no fuss approach that just let the music speak for itself and his technique was second to none. For me his set is the very definition of a "reference" recording though of course there's always room for different approaches and it's all a matter of preference anyway:

While i appreciate what Belder is trying to do, and i like his colorful touches and the personality he gives his phrases Scott Ross just has this unrelenting driving force and his technique is still strong enough that none of the details are lost in the process.

I just found his approach more gripping Belder seems to want to draw attention to the details to the point he seems to lose some of this energy. I guess it depends what one values more but i would say i still prefer Ross though i'm glad Bender exists.

As for the sound, Bender sounding better should just be a given. Even setting aside the harpsichord just the fact the recordings are 25 years apart give or take ought to mean something.