Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

[George]

Here is a nice Scarlatti's CD by Horowitz that has been in my collection for a number of years ...

Yes, I love Horowitz's Scarlatti. I was just listening to this live CD over the weekend, which begins with a handful of his Scarlatti Sonatas.

[Coopmv]

Yes, I love Horowitz's Scarlatti. I was just listening to this live CD over the weekend, which begins with a handful of his Scarlatti Sonatas.

How does Horowitz stack up against Richter?  No competitions?

[George]

How does Horowitz stack up against Richter?  No competitions?

Richter didn't record any Scarlatti, but his Beethoven is much better than Horowitz's IMO.  Horowitz has a tendency to play too loud at times and thus lose the nuance on a lot of his recordings. This is something that is not exactly alien to Richter, but he doesn't go to the extremes that Horowitz does. Or perhaps he does, but only at the appropriate time and with the appropriate works.

My opinion of Horowitz has waxed and waned over the years. There are some incredible performances in his discography, but much of his recordings I just can't listen to anymore. Scarlatti is one place I think he shines, Schumann is another. His live Rachmaninov PS 2 at Carnegie Hall 1981 is epic. Those opening chords shake the room and the intensity doesn't let up until the final bars. His early recording of Tchaikovsky PC 1 with Toscanini is another classic. Beyond these, I have trouble finding a whole lot to get excited about. I have yet to hear his Scriabin, however. 

[Coopmv]

I have yet to hear his Scriabin, however. 

I have this Scriabin's recording by Horowitz.  It is an excellent recording IMO ...

[Sean]

I just ordered the Pieter-Jan Belder complete recording from Amazon- UK£40 for 36 CDs, amazing price. I used to own the Scott Ross, which I found adequate but sometimes lacking in fire and attack: the brighter harpsichords he used seemed to bring the best out of him, particularly the volumes in the middle of his box set.

[Que]

I just ordered the Pieter-Jan Belder complete recording from Amazon- UK£40 for 36 CDs, amazing price. I used to own the Scott Ross, which I found adequate but sometimes lacking in fire and attack: the brighter harpsichords he used seemed to bring the best out of him, particularly the volumes in the middle of his box set.

Well, good luck with the Belder.
I can't agree with your comment about Ross and what's more: I can't square that comment with a preference for Belder in Scarlatti, since his approach is definitely less firy and dashing than Ross'!

If you want crackling Scarlatti, try Pierre Hantaï (Naïve) or Enrico Baiano (Sypmhonia).

Q

[jlaurson]

Let's see:

Well, good luck with the Belder.
I can't agree with your comment about Ross...

Seconded.

...and what's more: I can't square that comment with a preference for Belder in Scarlatti, since his approach is definitely less firy and dashing than Ross'!

Seconded.

If you want crackling Scarlatti, try Pierre Hantaï (Naïve)

Seconded.

...or Enrico Baiano (Sypmhonia).

Now officially curious.



All that seconding done, I should turn around a little bit in defense of Belder: He's not bad, at all. In fact, he's quite enjoyable. And more even than Ross. But surely not more exciting. I learned to appreciate Belder more when I heard the "Best of" from whats-his-name cycle on Nimbus. Lester... that's it.

[Sean]

Thanks you two; what you say thirded on the Amazon reviews also.

[Bunny]

I don't know if I posted this already, but I recently got Zhu Xiao-Mei's recording of Scarlatti, and it is terrific.  I don't really understand why it's OOP, but it's still available for download at Amazon, and I believe at Itunes as well.  Her performance of the K.113 is so astonishing that it easily is one of the best Scarlatti recordings that I've ever heard, and it was recorded from a live performance. 

[jlaurson]

I don't know if I posted this already, but I recently got Zhu Xiao-Mei's recording of Scarlatti, and it is terrific.  I don't really understand why it's OOP, but it's still available for download at Amazon, and I believe at Itunes as well.  Her performance of the K.113 is so astonishing that it easily is one of the best Scarlatti recordings that I've ever heard, and it was recorded from a live performance. 

Never heard it. But judging by her Goldberg Variations (one of my piano favorites; perhaps "the" favorite), I not surprised and all the more curious to listen to her Scarlatti.


BACH, Goldberg Variations, Zhu Xiao-Mei, Mirare
(Cheap in France)

[Drasko]

Enrico Baiano (Sypmhonia).

Now officially curious.

Me too. Could you upload one or two sonatas for sampling?

[Josquin des Prez]

No comments on my awesome archiving skills? I feel like i'm under-appreciated here. 

[prémont]

No comments on my awesome archiving skills? I feel like i'm under-appreciated here. 

Your idea is excellent IMO, providing a few words which help one to distinguish the sonatas from each other. My problem is, that I have not yet found any free software (freeware, and not shareware) which can handle winrar files.

[Drasko]

My problem is, that I have not yet found any free software (freeware, and not shareware) which can handle winrar files.

Try this http://www.7-zip.org/

[prémont]

Try this http://www.7-zip.org/

Looks promising, thanks so much.

[Sean]

I'm a complete Scarlatti addict and the Belder is the second complete set I've bought- some thoughts here. The only other recordings I know well are the Pinnock and Kirkpatrick LPs.

Listening to my Belder for the first time, from the opening notes on disc 1 this is obviously a very clear-headed player with fine sense of structure and awareness of this music's idiom; excellent articulation and perspicuous rhythmic control, nothing rushed but displaying a fine and even technique.

He lets the ecstasy build on its own though perhaps not quite enough, I'm not sure yet- from the first few sonatas: you can hear the influence of his Bach playing, bringing out the music's grandeur and intellectual power; he's put a lot of thought into each sonata and they seem perfectly and beautifully played. There's a good acoustic and very realistic well focussed sound; it's a 36 CD set of the 555 sonatas, comparing with Scott Ross's 34, partly due to slightly slower tempos.

It excludes the Fandango and doubtful sonatas that Erato released on a later CD. There's a small booklet which is very unprofessionally and disgracefully prepared and which I've binned; Ross' set by contrast has a huge and fascinating book of scholarly notes on each sonata. The bc scorings for the few figured bass sonatas are also slightly different.

[Sean]

Another thought on the 36/ 34 CDs is that Ross was selective in which sonatas he included repeats: looks like Belder always does- particularly important as the end of the preceeding section is omitted second time...

[Bunny]

Never heard it. But judging by her Goldberg Variations (one of my piano favorites; perhaps "the" favorite), I not surprised and all the more curious to listen to her Scarlatti.


BACH, Goldberg Variations, Zhu Xiao-Mei, Mirare
(Cheap in France)

I have her Goldbergs, and am now on a quest to find all of her recordings.  There's some Schubert and Beethoven rumored to be out there along with the Bach Partitas, but I'm damned if I can find hide nor hair of of them. She included as a last track on the Scarlatti cd Schubert's Allegretto in c minor (D. 915 I believe), and it was done exquisitely.  If you like her Goldbergs, then try and get a hold of her WTC II.  That's my favorite piano recording of that. Her recent Haydn sonatas is surprisingly more to my taste than Hamelin's, and she doesn't play as fast, nor ornament with that astonishingly virtuoso technique.  For some reason, however, those sonatas just sound more musical when she is playing them. 

[Bulldog]

I have her Goldbergs, and am now on a quest to find all of her recordings.  There's some Schubert and Beethoven rumored to be out there along with the Bach Partitas, but I'm damned if I can find hide nor hair of of them. She included as a last track on the Scarlatti cd Schubert's Allegretto in c minor (D. 915 I believe), and it was done exquisitely.  If you like her Goldbergs, then try and get a hold of her WTC II.  That's my favorite piano recording of that. Her recent Haydn sonatas is surprisingly more to my taste than Hamelin's, and she doesn't play as fast, nor ornament with that astonishingly virtuoso technique.  For some reason, however, those sonatas just sound more musical when she is playing them. 

I also have her Goldbergs and WTC II; have to say I prefer her WTC II.  Haven't yet heard her Haydn, but I intend to get it.  I agree that finding her discs is no easy matter; they seem to be around for a few months after distribution, then they vanish.

[jlaurson]

I have her Goldbergs, and am now on a quest to find all of her recordings.  There's some Schubert and Beethoven rumored to be out there along with the Bach Partitas, but I'm damned if I can find hide nor hair of of them. She included as a last track on the Scarlatti cd Schubert's Allegretto in c minor (D. 915 I believe), and it was done exquisitely.  If you like her Goldbergs, then try and get a hold of her WTC II.  That's my favorite piano recording of that. Her recent Haydn sonatas is surprisingly more to my taste than Hamelin's, and she doesn't play as fast, nor ornament with that astonishingly virtuoso technique.  For some reason, however, those sonatas just sound more musical when she is playing them. 

Her Schubert is lovely. She teams up with one of my favorite pianists for some works for two pianos:



Schubert,
Works for 2 Pianos
Alexandre Tharaud, Zhu Xiao-Mei
Harmonia Mundi