Composer: Domenico Scarlatti
Performer: Francesco Corti
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Arcana
Catalogue: A568
Release: 2024
Size: 3.41 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
A Man of Genius
01. Sonata in D Minor, K. 213. Andante
02. Sonata in D Major, K. 214. Allegro vivo
03. Sonata in A Major, K. 208. Adagio e cantabile
04. Sonata in A Major, K. 209. Allegro
05. Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 248. Allegro
06. Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 249. Allegro
07. Sonata in E Major, K. 215. Andante
08. Sonata in E Major, K. 216. Allegro
09. Sonata in A Minor, K. 217. Andante
10. Sonata in A Minor, K. 218. Vivo
11. Sonata in C Major, K. 242. Vivo
12. Sonata in C Major, K. 243. Allegro
13. Sonata in B Major, K. 244. Allegro
14. Sonata in B Major, K. 245. Allegro
15. Sonata in A Major, K. 219. Andante
16. Sonata in A Major, K. 220. Allegro
Having dedicated his first two albums for Arcana to Johann Sebastian Bach (Little Books, A480) and Georg Friedrich Handel (Winged Hands, A499), Francesco Corti turns to Domenico Scarlatti, the third great keyboardist of the 1685 generation. For this recording, he selected a group of sonatas copied in the years 1752 and 1753, strictly organised in pairs. Concentrating on works from the same period, it showcases the composer’s extraordinary ability to stretch the boundaries of the sonata form and to extensively elaborate his thematic material. Instrumental virtuosity and an experimental approach to the harpsichord sound go hand in hand with an astonishing formal freedom, combined with a playful sense of structure and expectation. Corti has chosen to perform these sonatas on a Humeau harpsichord, a copy of Italian models (courtesy of Bertrand Cuiller), and record them at the Royaumont Abbey.