Scarlatti: Sonatas for Two Guitars

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Domenico Scarlatti wrote some 550 sonatas for harpsichord during his long tenure as a musician in the royal courts of Portugal and Spain early in the 18th century. But from the graceful way these 15 fall under the fingers of the classical guitar duo Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl, you would think Scarlatti wrote for the fretboard rather than the keyboard. Early-music purists may cringe at the suggestion, but in some ways the guitar's nylon strings are better suited to playing these intricate compositions than the sometimes clangorous tone of the harpsichord's metal strings. Gray and Pearl use all the expressive capabilities at their disposal, including different types of vibrato, shifts in dynamics, and a wide range of timbres--which are all impossible on the harpsichord--to tease out the subtle harmonies, unexpected cadences, and surprising melodic leaps that characterize Scarlatti's work. Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl may not play these sonatas on the original instrument they were composed for, but there is no arguing with the fact that they play them with taste and style. --Michael Simmons

Tracks:

Son in D, K.435: Allegro
Son in a, K.7: Presto
Son in E, K.531: Allegro
Son in a, K.109: Adagio
Son in D, K.278: Con Velocita
Son in G, K.390: Allegro
Son in d, K.115 (Orig. c): Allegro
Son in G, K.125: Vivo
Son in g, K.234: Andante
Son in D, K.214: Allegro Vivo
Son in B flat, K.249: Allegro
Son in A, K.466 (Orig. f): Andante Moderato
Son in g, K.12: Presto
Son in A, K.301: Allegro

Amazon.com

Domenico Scarlatti wrote some 550 sonatas for harpsichord during his long tenure as a musician in the royal courts of Portugal and Spain early in the 18th century. But from the graceful way these 15 fall under the fingers of the classical guitar duo Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl, you would think Scarlatti wrote for the fretboard rather than the keyboard. Early-music purists may cringe at the suggestion, but in some ways the guitar's nylon strings are better suited to playing these intricate compositions than the sometimes clangorous tone of the harpsichord's metal strings. Gray and Pearl use all the expressive capabilities at their disposal, including different types of vibrato, shifts in dynamics, and a wide range of timbres--which are all impossible on the harpsichord--to tease out the subtle harmonies, unexpected cadences, and surprising melodic leaps that characterize Scarlatti's work. Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl may not play these sonatas on the original instrument they were composed for, but there is no arguing with the fact that they play them with taste and style. --Michael Simmons

Average customer rating:

Sonatas for Two Guitars
Scarlatti , Sommer , and Dybro
Manufacturer: Scandinavian Classic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000QJLW3O
Release Date: 2007-04-26

Scarlatti: Sonatas for Two Guitars [Germany]

Average customer rating:

Scarlatti: Sonatas for Two Guitars [Germany]
Sommer , and Dybro
Manufacturer: Scandinavian Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000092R4R
Release Date: 2006-05-04

Tracks: