Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Although this disc is recycled goods (originally on LPs, then on an EMI CD reissue), it shouldn't be overlooked. The sound quality of Kipnis's instruments (two harpsichords and a clavichord) is still sparkling and clear, especially in this new remastering. In contents and performance, it's the ideal single disc of Scarlatti. The material is selected to show the wide range of Scarlatti's expression, from the lyrical quality of K. 513 to the fury of K. 444. Kipnis keeps most of Scarlatti's pairs of Sonatas together. He plays all the repeats in the scores, which is vital to keeping the music from sounding like a batch of miniatures, and he adds imaginative embellishments to his repeats.

Best of all, Kipnis's performances reflect the nature of the music ideally, even to the extent of using the very soft-voiced clavichord for three Sonatas he feels are suited to the instrument. The low price of the disc makes it affordable enough to give to your friends who aren't already Scarlatti lovers. This will win them over! --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

PLEASING TEACHER.......2007-03-05

During my youth (a long time ago), I studied some of these Scarlatti Sonatas. Due to an extreme lack of talent on my part, I never succeeded in learning to play any of them well frustrating my poor instructor very much! I know that this recording by Yengeny Sudbin would please her very much. His playing of these difficult works is wonderful indeed--so full of virtuosic dazzle, charm and elegance plus he evokes some deep feelings especially of the ones in minor keys. Based on this recording, I expect great things from this very young pianist!

Exquisite.......2007-01-16

This is my first disk of -- and my introduction to -- Yengeny Sudbin. From the opening notes, he simply dissolves in service to these beautiful sonatas -- by which I mean you don't notice him playing, you notice the music in all its tone, texture and beauty. The disk says, "Scarlatti here!" and not "Sudbin here!"

This is not at all to minimize Sudbin's breathtaking technique and artistry, of course, but in fact to point out how perfectly they open up the world of these sonatas to you. I cannot recommend this recording highly enough. I play it several times a week and hear something new and wonderful each time.

Beauties Revealed.......2006-01-22

On the evidence of this truly masterful Scarlatti CD on BIS, I think Yevgeny Sudbin (25!!!) may be one of the most intelligent, effective, sensitive, commanding pianists around. The beauty of this disc takes one's breath away. Sudbin's approach is totally pianistic, highly lyrical, though totally aware (and effective in the realization) of all the rhythmic intricacies and subtle structural building-blocks which create these carefully wrought gems. Scarlatti's sonatas are short but each is carefully organized. Mr. Sudbin's execution reveals their organization through clearly through phrasing and coloring so that the listener is always fully aware of where things are musically coming from, where they are going, and the varied pleasures of getting there. Thus Mr.Subdin reveals musical structure, evokes all the Spanish folkloric elements in the music, and miraculously have them support the over-arching bel-canto lines which probably more than any other element make Scarlatti so achilingly beautiful over and above the surface brilliance of his technical and rhythmic underpinnings. Listen to K.27 in b minor and you'll be haunted to replay it again and again. By using a pianistic approach, Mr. Subdin does not eschew the martillato effects and rhythmic variety which are so integral a part of Scarlatti. Rather, he uses them not as a means to show off his brilliant technique, but to underscore the musical value of each sonata. He is not bashful to pedal and shift registers, nor to bring the full palette of colors in his technique to fully realize the emotional impact of Scarlatti's music. At all times we are fully aware of listening to beautiful music by Scarlatti first and foremost, not just hearing a virtuoso brilliantly displaying pianistic technique.

There is an overwhelming expressiveness and poetry to Sudbin's playing that stands him apart from other luminaries with names far more famous than his. I played his version of K.197 next to Horowitz's on his Sony/CBS recital (the only piece both discs share) and it's amazing how crude, unfeeling, agressive and uninteresting Horowitz came across after hearing Sudbin. This is certainly not meant to denigrate Horowitz's artistry but to highlight Subdin's remarkable achievement, and the differences that mark his performances with what have been "reference" Scarlatti interpretations. Perhaps had Lipatti lived longer maybe he would have given us more cantabile Scarlatti of this sort. Mr. Sudbin's sensitivity and musical intelligence seem to be in the same vein as that of the late great Rumanian interpreter. It is a tribute to Yevgeny Sudbin that he brings to mind such associations.

Mr. Sudbin has gorgeous piano tone, all the virtuosity one can desire and the requisite performing humility to never call attention to it but employ it only to serve Scarlatti's music.... a marvel..... I have actually heard the CD three times in a row to ensure I was actually hearing the beauties I heard.

One cannot help but wish Mr. Sudbin a brilliant future, praying that he remains loyal to whatever inner fire guided him in this recording. Somehow I can imagine him playing wonderful Schumann... stuff like Kreisleriana.... but I haven't a clue about him other than this disc.

My favorite Scarlatti-on-piano discs: Sudbin, Pogorelich, Maria Tipo on Vox and EMI, Horowitz (particularly the little group from the "Horowitz at the Met" album. It takes much more than virtuosity to be a great Scarlatti interpreter. Fast, furious staccato playing just is not enough. The beauties Mr. Subdin reveals show us why.

Sudbin's Debut Recording: A Necessary Scarlatti CD .......2006-01-12

Yevgeny Sudbin was 25 when he made this recording of Scarlatti sonatas. Furthermore, he had not been playing the sonatas for years and years -- which rather surprised me, since his playing is so confident -- but rather had put together this program only after his agent had submitted to the BIS label a compilation disc that included only a couple of Scarlatti's sonatas, and BIS decided they wanted him to record an all-Scarlatti disc. He then systematically read through all 555 of Scarlatti's sonatas (or 'Essercizi,' as the composer called them) and whittled that number down to fifty and then finally the eighteen that are on the CD.

To say that these performances are startlingly good is something of an understatement. They are not only good, they are essential to any lover of Scarlatti. Granted, there are those who will only listen to the sonatas as played on a harpsichord and more power to them, but most of us don't mind at all hearing them on the piano and, further, most recordings of the sonatas these days are by pianists. There are some essential pianistic recordings, including Horowitz and Weissenberg (and some would include Pletnev and Babayan) but this disc wins the right to be shelved right up there with the big boys.

It is hard to know how to describe why Sudbin's playing is so wonderful, but I'll try. (It's a shame that Amazon has not seen fit to include audio clips from the CD. You'd hear immediately what I'm talking about without having to read my verbiage.) From the very beginning of the first track -- Sonata in B Flat, K. 545 -- you hear that the pianist molds each phrase with extreme musicality, both in phrasing and dynamic variation. This is, of course, done from the perspective of the piano, not the harpsichord; in my opinion, too many pianists try to make the piano sound like a harpsichord, ignoring or trying to hide the essential tonal qualities of the instrument. One might say that Sudbin's approach is Romantic, but that's actually not the case; what it is is unabashedly pianistic, and that suggests gestures that only began in the late 18th century with Mozart and early Beethoven. This is, in my opinion, all to the good. And it also allows Sudbin to tells stories with his playing. By that I mean he can attempt a narrative or limn an emotional tone by variations in touch, legato, dynamics and phrasing, and if that sounds romantic, so be it. What really strikes me is that Sudbin is able to differentiate the individual sonatas so that, unlike so often on the harpsichord, they don't all sound alike.

Like many others who have recorded selections from the sonatas, Sudbin has arranged his selection to maximize contrast between consecutive pieces. For instance, Track 1 (K. 545) is a celebration, and the following sonata (K. 466) is reflective, inward, pensive and tender but not melancholy. And so on. He has tended to choose later sonatas but includes one of Scarlatti's rare fugal sonatas (K. 30) and he ends with two other early works, K. 27 and K. 24).

Technically, Sudbin's playing is beyond reproach. But equally important is his ability to get to the heart of each sonata and bring out its unique qualities. This all adds up to an amazingly assured, even important, début disc. BIS knows a good thing when they hear it: Sudbin has since recorded a disc of Rachmaninoff for them and word has it that there will be a release the First Concertos of Tchaikovsky and Medtner.

Yevgeny Sudbin is definitely a name to remember. It's hard to recall a début disc that made such an impression as this one.

Scott Morrison

Finest debut i have ever heard.......2005-12-12

There have been some fine debuts lately of some extraordinary young pianists. the good thing is that there seems to be a trend lately of pianists who are more than merely fingers, but brains and heart. Anti Sirrala's Naxos disc of Schubert Lieder trans, comes to mind(and his ondine debut of Brahms op 5 may be that works definitive recording). Alexandre Tharaud has been around a while, but his recent disc of Bach on Harmonia Mundi was exceptional, and F.F Guy has recorded excellent prokofiev and beethoven. Arcadi Volodos is another great pianist with a tone and virtuosity that may exceed Kissin's. All these pianists share a simialr quality, one that more famous pianists such as lang lang lacks, but tries to force on his audience in live performances with exagerated grimaces and swaying that makes you want to laugh more than anything else. Yundi li may be worth watching, but he needs to be careful to avoid being over exploited and despite what anyone else says, Evgeny Kissin is todays most gifted and promising pianist. And now there is Yvgeny Sudbin. This debut of Scarlatti is hands down the most exceptional debut i have ever heard. The first track is extraordinary in its control, its voicing, and excitement. This is young mans scarlatti, a thinking mans scarlatti, and though all of the previous names could play the notes, I doubt any could play it with such conviction and manical intensity. K 27 is another case in point. It may be one of the greatest tests of any who claim to be great scarlatti players. The notes are simple, but the performer has to decide how sentimental and beautiful they want it to be, most fall somewhere between Gilels extremely slow, though murderously beautiful, version on BBC, or Michelangeli's excersie(it was written as an exercise)like version, which is like a player piano. But Sudbin has his own take on this sonata, making it entirely his own. Niether over sentimentalizing it or making it lose its charm.
He plays all the repeats in all the sonata's, and does an extraordinary job of making it souond fresh and different each time so that casual music fans will be hard up to notice.
Follow this man, his career is sure lead him to the mountain top of pianism

Average customer rating:

Tipo plays Scarlatti
A Slight Minority Report
Superb Scarlatti
First rate Scarlatti!

D. Scarlatti: 18 Sonatas

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mikhail Pletnev ~ Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas
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ASIN: B00005RD9O
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

Sonata In E (Allegro), K495
Sonata In E (Allegro), K381
Sonata In E (Presto), K20
Sonata In E Minor (Allegro), K394
Sonata In G (Andante Spiritoso), K454
Sonata In G (Allegro Molto), K425
Sonata In D (Allegro), K491
Sonata In D Minor (Aria), K32
Sonata In A (Allegro), K342
Sonata In A Minor (Adagio), K109
Sonata In A (Allegro), K39
Sonata In G (Vivo), K125
Sonata In G (Allegro), K470
Sonata In G (Allegro), K124
Sonata In G (Allegrissimo), K79
Sonata In G (Allegro), K547
Sonata In B Flat (Allegro), K551
Sonata In B Flat Minor (Allegro), K128

Customer Reviews:

Tipo plays Scarlatti.......2007-05-12

Her touch is superb. Her interpretation moves. She plays all of the decorations perfectly without getting lost in them (like Pogo). I like her Scarlatti far more than Horowitz.

A Slight Minority Report.......2007-02-28

I would love to give this CD my full recommendation, but I feel I must at least let others know that Tipo's playing here is just a bit overromantic in style. There is a lot of rubato and really rather extreme molding of dynamics. She is indeed a wonderful pianist and I've loved other recordings she has made, including her fine Goldberg Variations, but I found myself listening more to 'what is she going to do next' (meaning how is she going to haul around the musical pulse or dynamics) than listening to the music itself, at least some of the time.

Still, this is, as piano-playing, quite wonderful. If that sounds like a contradiction to what I'd just said, please understand that I just think her style of playing Scarlatti is not what some purists would expect or want.

One other thing: the sound is a bit reverberant. I don't find it off-putting but some might prefer a drier acoustic.

Scott Morrison

Superb Scarlatti.......2005-10-09

Well, the earlier review has covered almost everything.

I would only add Zacharias's 49 Scarlatti Sonatas (EMI) to the list mentioned, and nonetheless I prefer Tipo in the whole list. And other than elegance and gracefulness, her playing also possesses a remarkable sense of proportion which is essential in both the Baroque and Classical repertoire.

To those who like Tipo's playing, they may find Michelangeli's (or even Lipatti's) Scarlatti delightful as well-- albeit the latters had recorded only a few of them. They shouldn't forget to check Tipo's Clementi out as well: she was the first to record Clementi's complete Sonatas after all: Tipo is a great interpreter of the Italian keyboard literature.

First rate Scarlatti!.......2005-05-16

A fine collection of Scarlatti piano sonatas on several counts: quality of performance; generous number of Scarlatti sonatas, both early and late, on one CD; and price.

Maria Tipo, on the basis of this disc, is a wonderful pianist. A prizewinner in the Queen Elisabeth's International Competition (1952), she is relatively unknown yet seems an assured, highly skilled, elegant and graceful pianist. Her playing sparkles throughout, and grips the listener from the very beginning. Her program ranges from early to late sonatas and, despite the fact that only three of the Scarlatti piano sonatas played here are in minor keys, with seven of the sonatas in G major, her program offers real contrast and variety.

She plays 18 Scarlatti sonatas on one CD. Listening time is about 74 minutes - quite generous. That is more than Horowitz or Pogorelich, which cost more. Tipo's CD is budget price.

In sum, one of the best all Scarlatti Piano Sonata CDs I know, including Horowitz (Sony), Pogorelich (DGG) Pletnev (Virgin) and Andjaparidze (Naxos). This is a disc I've been unable to resist listening to repeatedly, both because it is that good, but also because Maria Tipo plays so many less familiar, top drawer Scarlatti sonatas.

Mikhail Pletnev ~ Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas

Average customer rating:

Sparkling Scarlatti
PLETNEV IS ABSOLUTLEY FIRST RATE
Scarlatti with pizzaz
glenn gould wannabee 30 years too late
Fine Scarlatti !

Mikhail Pletnev ~ Domenico Scarlatti - Keyboard Sonatas
Mikhail Pletnev
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005IA25
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Son in D, K443
Son in d, K1
Son in G, K283
Son in G, K284
Son in b, K27
Son in E, K380
Son in A, K24
Son in c#, K247
Son in f, K519
Son in F, K17
Son in d, K9
Son in a, K3
Son in A, K404
Son in d, K213
Son in D, K214

Tracks:

Son in D, K96
Son in G, K146
Son in b, K87
Son in G, K520
Son in c, K11
Son in f, K386
Son in f, K387
Son in A, K268
Son in d, K141
Son in A, K113
Son in f#, K25
Son in b, K173
Son in G, K523
Son in g, K8
Son in G, K259
Son in D, K29

Customer Reviews:

Sparkling Scarlatti.......2007-03-30

I can lay claim to be a lover of baroque music, rather than an aficionado of Domenico Scarletti. I insist on a harpsichord for Bach concertos, but am happy with, perhaps prefer, a piano for solo works. I have a good idea on how Scarlatti should sound, the music should dance and sparkle, light and airy, no thumping, even in solemn passages. I have to admit I did not much like the recent recording by Scherbakov, which was highly praised by most of the critics, I found it a bit ponderous. But I think this two CD recording by Mikhail Pletnev is pretty near perfect, and 2 hours 20 minutes of magic delivered to me in far away Australia for just over $12 is fantastic value. My only criticism is that the cover notes are skimpy. Five stars, easy. If you think of buying don't delay, it is no longer in Virgin's catalogue, so will soon disappear.

PLETNEV IS ABSOLUTLEY FIRST RATE.......2006-08-05

Ignore one silly review and focus on the intelligent ones. What an incredible value for less than $10.00! I have Pletnev's Live At Carnegie Hall which is fabulous. He is an incredible talent and these are wonderful interpretations of Scarlatti's incomparable sonatas. Treat yourself. The quality is excellent.

Scarlatti with pizzaz.......2005-08-07

If Vivaldi was the "concerto factory" of the 18th century, then Domenico Scarlatti was the "harpsichord sonata factory" with his some 550 individual compositions (mostly binary in form). Yet, as numerous as they are, these works are rich in musical innovations, techniques, textures and imagination. Only one person has recorded all of them (and survived). The great Vladimar Horowitz helped expose these great works in his legendary concerts, and Scarlatti's sonatas were his "calling card" to open many a concert.

Now, Russian piano-wizard Mikhail Pletnev brings his uninhibited technique to give this music an energetic workout on the piano (as opposed to the original harpsichord). And while Mr. Pletnev applies his characteristic stylistic liberties to the score, it seems to bring out the best in these works. His readings possess tremendous energy and verve, yet the music never seems quite 'overdone.' Indeed, Mr. Pletnev brings a captivating dynamic and pizzaz to many of these sonatas that is probably not out of the realm of what Scarlatti could imagine. After all, Scarlatti wrote much of this music with virtuosity in mind and an uninhibited style relative for his day. Overall, this is a most exciting and satisfying collection recorded in vivid, full-bodied sound.

This two CD set is a fine introduction to the many sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and one of the best Baroque bargins around. Both Gramophone and Penguin give high marks to this set for its imaginative and dynamic readings and realistic, vivid sound. With Pletnev's fine readings here, this vivacious and intelligently-varied piano music should rise towards the status it deserves in the repertoire. Compositions - 4.5 stars; Peformance - 5 stars; Sound - 5 stars.

Equally receiving high marks is Pletnev's recording of C.P.E. Bach's much-neglected and highly innovative keyboard sonatas. Pletnev's Chopin recital featuring Sonata No. 3 is also a real treat and most recommended. And new for 2006 for Pletnev is a fresh recording of Mozart's piano sonatas (K. 330-332).

glenn gould wannabee 30 years too late.......2005-04-11

Along with Zarafiants's Naxos recording, this recording ranks at the bottom of currently available Scarlatti recordings. Sure, Pletnev has the chops, and his take on K 519 is exhilarating. But overall, the performances are weirdly accentuated and too fast--K 113, in which all sense of dialogue between the bass and extreme treble in this hand-crossing masterpiece is lost, is a sad example. Scarlatti can sound great on piano, as Pogorelich and Michael Lewin make clear.

Fine Scarlatti !.......2004-12-25

If you like Scarlatti on the piano versus the harpsichord, Pletnev is really worth considering.

l. Great technique: wonderfully clear, good use of contrast and dynamics; very musical;

2. Carefully thought out and well varied program (over thirty Scarlatti sonatas);

3. Excellent sound;

4. Very inexpensive (2 CDs for the less than the price of a regular CD);

He doesn't make me forget Horowitz -I haven't heard Pogorelich or Perahia in Scarlatti - but wonderful playing and broader exposure to Scarlatti, who has a style all his own, trumps everything else for me.

Average customer rating:

DEFINITIVE
Great Performances of Scarlatti's Sonatas for Harpsichord

Scarlatti: Sonatas for Harpsichord

Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002JZ2CA
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Customer Reviews:

DEFINITIVE.......2006-04-19

Ralph Kirkpatrick pretty much brought the music of Domenico Scarlatti back from oblivion. If that was not enough, he practically made Scarlatti's sonati his own by his inspired playing of them. This is the reissue of his 1970 recording for Archiv playing the Reiner Schuetze instrument, with several more sonati than were on the original. Kirkpatrick's playing and the excellence of the remastering make this a real collector's item. There is passion without the saccharine sound some modern performances on piano have added.

Great Performances of Scarlatti's Sonatas for Harpsichord.......2004-11-20

Ralph Kirkpatrick was not only a distinguished performer of the harpsichord and teacher (He spent most of his adult life as a professor of music at Yale, after being trained in Europe as well as America.), but also became a superb scholar of Baroque music with his acclaimed biography of Scarlatti. Here in this relatively inexpensive CD are his riveting performances of 21 of Scarlatti's harpsichord sonatas, recorded by Archiv (Deutsche Grammophon) in the mid 1960's. I can't single out one performance as a personal favorite, since all of these are quite good. Thanks to the latest digital 24-bit remastering, the sound quality is superb. Indeed, this fine CD is as excellent as the previously released Archiv CD sets of J. S. Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier", which Kirkpatrick played on the clavichord, not the piano.

Average customer rating:

Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FG5PI6
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Tracks:

Allegro
Pastorale:Moderato-Molto Allegro-Presto
Andante
Allegro
Cantabile
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Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 8

Average customer rating:

Soyean
Soyeon Lee is Five Stars!
Touch
This may be the start of something big!
After a Long Wait, Another Fine Issue in the Naxos Scarlatti Series

Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 8

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000M2DNPA
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Tracks:

Sonata In A Major
Sonata In E Major
Sonata In C Major
Sonata In F Minor
Sonata In B Flat Major
Sonata In B Minor
Sonata In D Major
Sonata In G Minor
Sonata In A Flat Major
Sonata In F Minor
Sonata In A Minor
Sonata In C Major
Sonata In A Major

Customer Reviews:

Soyean.......2007-05-12

I met Soyean on a cruise and she played for the guests on the cruise.
She is such a dedicated, professional pianist, gifted beyond belief.
And she has a heart of gold to match.

Soyeon Lee is Five Stars!.......2007-05-04

I bought this CD on the strength of the Amazon reviews, and I find it simply lovely. Soyeon Lee is a real find, a pianist of the first rank, with the delicacy and taste this music calls for. Her resume is impressive, she has won many competitions, and her playing is superb. So what if Scarlatti has been called "popcorn" - to me Scarlatti is comfort food, and this CD is comforting indeed. I look forward to hearing more first class work from Miss Lee. Just one problem - the Naxos liner notes were strikingly defective - inside, they describe not the Scarlatti sonatas, but Saint Saens cello sonata! When Amazon sent a replacement CD, it too had the same flaw. Well, that happens. Just listen....

Touch.......2007-04-08

Soyeon Lee's (Yi So-Yeon's) contribution to the Naxos complete Scarlatti sonatas is outstanding. K 466 is one of the Scarlatti canon, and I'd place Lee's performance between the cold, morgue-like performance of Dubravka Tomsic and the grandiose version by Emilia Fadini that invokes the chain-dragging ghosts of early operas by D. Scarlatti's father, Alessandro. But Lee's performance is not dull. The hard beat and delayed action of the trills in the second half of the sonata really bring out the 2/3 crossrhythmic edge when it counts most.

Not every sonata works. Lee does not provide enough space between phrases in the question-and-answer coda to K 462.

K 87 is a chestnut, but Lee's performance shows a firm grasp of line.

The blowout for me was K 96. In contrast to the driven hammering of Pletnev and his master Axelrod, Lee plays with fast-tempo JOY. It's her mastery of touch that is most surprising in Lee's debut album. She uses it well to make the syncopation of lightweight K 382 move.

As always in this series, the artist's choice of sonatas is dictated by the powers that be at Naxos, so Lee can be forgiven for forgettable performances of several sonatas like K 181 on this disc. It's too bad that Naxos will unlikely issue another Scarlatti album in this series with Lee playing because she may be the most talented performer of the series to date.

This may be the start of something big!.......2007-03-31

I, too, waited long and hard for this release. I just wanted Naxos to get on with the Scarlattii series.
I was pleased that the pianist was from someplace outside of Russia and the USA. I was pleased that the pianist was young with a solid resumé. The CD deserves 5 stars.

Is it proper to compare S Lee's performance of each sonata with earlier performances of each sonate by other pianists. Overall, I think so.. For example: who can ever best Horowitz in K466 (a masterpiece in Sephardic sentiment)?; who can better play K87 (with it's beautiful legato line) than Pogorelich? Certainly not S Lee at this time. BUT, she's young yet. Who knows what heights she'll reach in 30 years.

As a side issue: do other people in the Scarlatti circle have strong opinions on who plays what sonata the best?
Hopefully, we can start a consensus thing in these reviews.

Anyway, get this CD and keep the enjoyment alive

After a Long Wait, Another Fine Issue in the Naxos Scarlatti Series.......2007-03-23

It has been two long years since the last issue in this ongoing series from Naxos which, when finished, will have recorded -- on the piano -- all 555 of Scarlatti's sonatas (or, as he called them, 'Essercizi'), each CD recorded by a different pianist. So far we have had recordings by Jeno Jändö, Benjamin Frith, Konstantin Scherbakov, Evgeni Zarafiants, Michael Lewin, Beatrice Long and Eteri Andjaparidze. All of these are fine, although I was less impressed with that of Ms Long than with the others. And each is different. One could argue that it might have been better for Naxos to have had one pianist record all the sonatas, as Scott Ross did on harpsichord before his untimely death, but Naxos's approach has value, not the least of which is the opportunity to hear how differently these protean works can be played.

The Scarlatti sonatas are like snowflakes; each is symmetrical but utterly unique and thus discernibly different from its fellow sonatas. They seem alike on superficial inspection but closer scrutiny reveals the differences which make one all the more admiring of Scarlatti's art. One can never exhaust the process of discovering delights in these works.

Soyeon Lee is a twenty-something Korean pianist not previously known to me (as has been the case with several of the other pianists in this series). She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, having studied with Jerome Lewenthal and Robert McDonald and is a multiple prizewinner. Her playing has delicacy and poetry but is capable of power and crisp articulation. It is clear that she has thought carefully about every note she plays here. One can detect an intellect guiding her pristine technique. She is given some of the more obscure sonatas to record, but is rewarded by getting one of the most familiar of them all, the one in D major K96 which, surely not by chance, falls precisely at the center of her recital. I compared her playing of this familiar work with recordings by John Browning, Vladimir Horowitz and Alexis Weissenberg. (I would have compared it with that of Mikhail Pletnev but, darn it, that CD is on loan to a friend.) Her way with this sonata stands up nicely in those direct comparisons. Her tone is rounded, her phrasing more legato than some but counterbalanced by a keen rhythmic sense so that the line does not become soggy. Among the less familiar sonatas I was impressed by the suppressed but real emotion in K466 in F minor and by the joyous brilliance in K101 in A major. (It is of note that the symmetry of Scarlatti's works is mirrored in the arrangement of this recital which begins and ends with sonatas in A major.)

This issue is a keeper. And Soyeon Lee is a young pianist at the beginning of a career to watch.

Scott Morrison

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Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas, K. 372-427

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 8
Complete Sonatas VII

ASIN: B000O77SHM
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Tracks:

K.372: G Major, Allegro
K.373: G Minor, Presto Ne Fugato
K.374: G Major, Andante
K.375: G Major, Allegro
K.376: B Minor, Allegro
K.377: B Minor, Allegrissimo
K.378: F Major, Allegro
K.379: F Major, Minuet
K.380: E Major, Andante Commodo
K.381: E Major, Allegro
K.382: A Minor, Allegro
K.383: A Minor, Allegro
K.384: C Major, Cantabile Andante
K.385: C Major, Allegro
K.386: F Minor, Presto
K.387: F Minor, Veloce E Fugato
K.388: D Major, Presto
K.389: D Major, Allegro

Tracks:

K.390: G Major, Allegro
K.391: G Major, Allegro
K.392: B Flat Major, Allegro
K.393: B Flat Major, Minuet
K.394: E Minor, Allegro
K.395: E Major, Allegro
K.396: D Minor, Andante/Allegro
K.397: D Major, Minuet
K.398: C Major, Andante
K.399: C Major, Allegro
K.400: D Major, Allegro
K.401: D Major, Allegro
K.402: E Minor, Andante
K.403: E Major, Allegro
K.404: A Major, Andante
K.405: A Major, Allegro
K.406: C Major, Allegro
K.407: C Major, Allegro
K.408: B Minor, Andante
K.409: B Minor, Allegro

Tracks:

K.410: B Flat Major, Allegro
K.411: B Flat Major, Allegro
K.412: G Major, Allegro
K.413: G Major, Allegro
K.414: D Major, Allegro
K.415: D Major, Pastorale, Allegro
K.416: D Major, Presto
K.417: D Minor, Fuga, Allegro Moderato
K.418: F Major, Andante
K.419: F Major, Piu Tosto Presto Che Allegro
K.420: Allegro
K.421: C Major, Allegro
K.422: C Major, Andante
K.423: C Major, Presto
K.424: G Major, Allegro
K.425: G Major, Allegro Molto
K.426: G Minor, Andante
K.427: G Major, Presto, Quanto Sia Possible

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Definitive Scarlatti
An amazing accomplishment

Scarlatti: The Keyboard Sonatas

Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bach: Complete Works - 155 CD Box Set

ASIN: B0009MWAVQ
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Customer Reviews:

Definitive Scarlatti.......2007-05-26

I've been a Scarlatti fan since I discovered the Ralph Kirkpatrick recordings on Columbia when I was in high school--some 40 years ago. Over the years I have played some of them on the piano and collected numerous recordings, performed on both harpsichord and piano. I first purchased Scott Ross's complete collection after sampling the 3-CD Scarlatti Anthologie and being pleased with what I heard. After listening to about a third of the 34 CDs on which the 555 sonatas are recorded I can say that Scott Ross's performances equal or exceed anything I've heard from any other performer on harpsichord. There are recordings by other performers I rate very highly--Wanda Landowska's characterful pre-WW II recordings and Andras Schiff's superb piano recordings of the sonatas come to mind--but Scott Ross has it all. Meticulous accuracy, a truly engaging sense of rhythm--so critical in bringing out the character of the sonatas, a superb sense of the Spanish idiom Scarlatti uses, elegant ornamentaion, a masterful selection of stops, and the wonderful recorded harpsichord sound all make this set a thoroughly satisfying musical experience for the Scarlatti lover. Bringing all of this quality to the formidable task of recording all of Scarlatti's 555 sonatas is a tremendous achievement and a true service to the music loving public. In addition to the pleasure of having such a treasure trove of great Scarlatti performances, the complete collection has afforded me the oppotunity to discover many elegant gems among Scarlatt's lesser known sonatas--the kind that stay in my head days after hearing them. That Ross died at the relatively early age of 38 was a real loss. If you're a Scarlatti fan, treat yourself to this complete collection. You won't be disappointed.

An amazing accomplishment.......2005-10-20

This recent re-release of Scott Ross's complete recordings of Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas is truly a great a accomplishment. The 34 CDs contain all 555 sonatas. The vast majority are played by Ross on the harpsichord, or harpsichord's I should say. Four different harpsichords were used, one Italian and three French. While various groups of Sonatas might sound a bit different it doesn't take away from the experience at all.

And what an experience it is. Ross's harpsichord playing is bright and lively when required, relaxed and subdued at other times. While it's hard to imagine that Ross was able to become intimately familiar with 555 sonatas over the year it took to record them, his performances do not show any signs of boredom. The sonatas are overall focused and well performed.

In addition to the hundreds of harpsichord sonatas, there are also recordings of Scarlatti's five sonatas with string and woodwing accompaniment as well as his three organ sonatas. All keyboard parts are played by Ross.

The packaging of this set is very compact. Each CD is in a thick paper cover, the whole of the set in a single box. There is also a 255 page booklet that contains a short description of nearly every sonata. Additionally there is an interview with Ross from 1986.

This is a wonderful set for any fan of Scarlatti and Ross. And at the price, it would even be worth it for anyone who enjoys Baroque harpsichord music but isn't familiar with Scarlatti. I highly recommend this set.

Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 2

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Distorted
Michael Lewin Plays Scarlatti Sonatas
The best kind of bargain
Michael Lewin earns distinction as Scarlatti intepreter.
Great disc for a great price

Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 1
Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 3
Complete Keyboard Sonatas 4
Complete Keyboard Sonatas 5
Domenico Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 6

ASIN: B00000JYTT
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Major, K. 492 - (Presto)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Minor, K. 3 - (Allegro-Presto)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Minor, K. 32
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Major, K. 33 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Major, K. 208 - (Andante e cantabile)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Major, K. 209 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In E Major, K. 20 - (Presto)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In E Minor, K. 98 - (Allegrissimo)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In B Minor, K. 27 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Major, K. 436 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Minor, K. 141 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Minor, K. 213 - (Andante)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In G Major, K. 14 - (Presto)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Major, K. 322 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Minor, K. 109 - (Adagio)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In G Major, K. 146 - (Allegretto)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In A Major, K. 39 - (Allegro)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In F Minor, K. 481 - (Andante e cantabile)
Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol. 2: Sonata In D Minor, K. 517 - (Prestissimo)

Customer Reviews:

Distorted.......2005-10-07

I'm wondering who is more distorded? Lewin and his musical nothing, you people who bought that trash, or poor little Scarlatti, that thank God he is not alive to hear his music like this! Shame.

Michael Lewin Plays Scarlatti Sonatas.......2005-03-24

Domenico Scarlatti's over 550 short keyboard sonatas include worlds in miniature. In their gaiety and charm, these works have more capacity to inspire than many more ponderous, facially serious, compositions. I find it inspiring as well that Scarlatti's sonatas are the product of his middle and old age. There is hope for those of us that come into their own late in life!

The budget Naxos label is in the process of recording a complete set of the Scarlatti sonatas on the piano with each volume performed by a different pianist. Although I prefer this music on the harpsichord, this series is an outstanding way to get to know Scarlatti. Those who love this composer will want to have some performances of the sonatas on both instruments.

Volume 2 of the series features the American pianist Michael Lewin. Mr. Lewin has a wide-ranging repertoire. He has recorded two volumes of the piano music of Charles Tomlinson Griffes for Naxos as well as a volume of the music of Louis Gottschalk. His perfomance of Scarlatti is agressive, virtuosic and forthright. He emphasizes both the percussive qualities of the piano as well as the instrument's ability to play both loudly and softly His approach to Scarlatti can be contrasted with pianist's Eteri Andjaparidze's much more restrained, softer approach in volume 1 of this series. (Ms. Andjaparidze's reading is lovely as well. This series of Scarlatti sonatas shows eloquently that there are many different ways to interpret music.)

Lewin's program on this disk consists of 19 sonatas ranging from among the earliest of the Sonatas, K. 3 in A minor to some of the latest, K. 517 in D minor. The collection is almost evenly divided between major and minor key works, with ten in the former category and nine in the latter.

Many of the sonatas show the meditative, lyrical side of Scarlatti. In particular, the CD includes three rather lengthy works, K. 213 in D minor, K. 109 in A minor and K. 481 in F minor in a slow, reflective cast. The disk is full of contrasting gay and lively works as well, including the Sonatas in G major, K. 14, and K. 146, the Sonata in A major, K. 39, the Sonata in D major, K. 492, and the sonata in D. minor, K 517 which concludes the CD. I enjoyed especially the slower, more elaborate pieces. I also enjoyed the Sonata in B minor, K27 with its haunting bell-like tone and the big piano sound Lewin brings to this work. This early work had been unfamiliar to me, unlike many of the other pieces on the CD.

This CD will delight lovers of Scarlatti and will form an appealing introduction to his work for new listeners.

The best kind of bargain.......2005-03-13

Not only do you get 76 minutes with 19--count 'em--sonatas, many of the sonatas get great performances by Lewin. Yes, I agree with an earlier reviewer that the performance of K 213 is beautiful. Other gems include a boffo K 141 with speed to burn yet clearer articulation than I've ever heard in one of the best-known "virtuoso" sonatas. But the real surprise was the sonata that precedes K 141, K 436 in D major. "The village orchestra ... the trumpets" is straight from Kirkpatrick. And I can hear them, but there is a rhythmic trick with the shifting length of the left-hand scale passages, and Lewin totally gets it. K 209 is another hit. There are a few duds--K 32 sounds like a sarabande rather than a minuet, and K 27 is a bit too hammered-out, too (despite the program notes) aggressive.

Yeah, those notes. This album gets A+ for program, performance, and acoustics--it was recorded at Town Hall. But here's a sample of the program notes: "[K 20 in E major] is notable for the thirds in the second half, a device Scarlatti often used to confuse the rhythmic and harmonic sense of the hearer." Say wha? The performance of K 20, though, is crisp and clear, very similar to that of Pogorelich.

I love the series; I've heard the first six volumes, and Lewin's is the best so far.

Michael Lewin earns distinction as Scarlatti intepreter........2002-10-27

This is in serious contrast to vol. 1 Scarlatti of the same series. A lot less pedal. A lot more staccato particularly in the fast sections. A lot more legato in the slow ones. Up tempo all the way. Lewin is abstemious with dynamics but he uses them well. He has an innate feel for rhythms. There is clarity to the sound. You can tell the left from the right hand throughout. Lewin does not let the embellishments overshadow the melody, and he deftly puts the piano in place of the harpsichord, making the most of the more advanced instrument. This vol. 2 of the Scarlatti series is a pleasure to hear.

Great disc for a great price.......2001-07-17

This set of Scarlatti sonatas, played by American pianist Michael Lewin, is a great introduction to the composer's music. The works presented here encompass a wide variety of moods, each brilliantly realized by Lewin, ranging from the soul-searching intensity of the Sonata in D minor, K. 213, to the light-hearted playfulness of the Sonata in G major, K. 146. The listener really gets a good sense of the composer's unique style. Also, the sound on this recording captures Lewin's beautiful tone perfectly. Naxos has again provided us with an amazing bargain, with seventy six minutes of playing time for only six dollars. It is no wonder that this disc is highly recommended in the Gramophone Guide, one of the leading authorities on classical music.