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Domenico SCARLATTI (1685 - 1757): Keyboard sonatas
[I] "Sonates 5"
Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord
rec: June 2016, Haarlem
Mirare - MIR 326 (© 2017) (78'23")
Liner-notes: E/D/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Sonata in C (K 157);
Sonata in D (K 277);
Sonata in D (K 388);
Sonata in D (K 401);
Sonata in E (K 28);
Sonata in E flat (K 252);
Sonata in E flat (K 253);
Sonata in E flat (K 474);
Sonata in E flat (K 475);
Sonata in F (K 205);
Sonata in f minor (K 238);
Sonata in G (K 124);
Sonata in G (K 547);
Sonata in A (K 211);
Sonata in b minor (K 87);
Sonata in B flat (K 551)
[II] "Sonates 6"
Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord
rec: June 2018, Haarlem
Mirare - MIR 422 (© 2019) (78'28")
Liner-notes: E/D/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Sonata in C (K 170);
Sonata in C (K 384);
Sonata in C (K 487);
Sonata in C (K 501);
Sonata in C (K 502);
Sonata in D (K 119);
Sonata in D (K 161);
Sonata in d minor (K 18);
Sonata in F (K 6);
Sonata in f minor (K 69);
Sonata in G (K 477);
Sonata in g minor (K 43);
Sonata in g minor (K 179);
Sonata in g minor (K 234);
Sonata in B flat (K 273);
Sonata in B flat (K 544);
Sonata in B flat (K 550)
[III] "Sonatas"
Jean Rondeau, harpsichord
rec: Jan 7 - 11, 2018, La Chaux de Fonds (CH), Salle de Musique
Erato - 090295633684 (© 2018) (81'01")
Liner-notes: E/D/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Sonata in C (K 132);
Sonata in C (K 199);
Sonata in C (K 460);
Sonata in D (K 119);
Sonata in d minor (K 141);
Sonata in d minor (K 213);
Sonata in E (K 162);
Sonata in E (K 216);
Sonata in F (K 6);
Sonata in f minor (K 69);
Sonata in f minor (K 481);
Sonata in G (K 180);
Sonata in g minor (K 30);
Sonata in A (K 208);
Sonata in a minor (K 175)
[IV] "Zones"
Lillian Gordis, harpsichord
rec: July 2018, Paris, Église luthérienne St Pierre
Paraty - 919180 (© 2019) (80'45")
Liner-notes: E/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Sonata in D (K 119);
Sonata in D (K 122);
Sonata in d minor (K 516);
Sonata in E (K 215);
Sonata in E (K 264);
Sonata in e minor (K 402);
Sonata in E flat (K 253);
Sonata in E flat (K 474);
Sonata in f sharp minor (K 25);
Sonata in A (K 208);
Sonata in B (K 262);
Sonata in b minor (K 87);
Sonata in B flat (K 248)
[V] "Sonatas"
Nicola Reniero, organ
rec: July 18 - 19, 2016, Desenzano del Garda, Duomo di Santa Maria Maddalena
Brilliant Classics - 95817 (© 2019) (73'13")
Liner-notes: E/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
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Sonata in C 'Pastorale' (K 513);
Sonata in c minor (K 58);
Sonata in D (K 28);
Sonata in D (K 287);
Sonata in D (K 288);
Sonata in D 'Pastorale' (K 415);
Sonata in d minor (K 92);
Sonata in d minor (K 294);
Sonata in d minor (K 417);
Sonata in e minor (K 263);
Sonata in F (K 82);
Sonata in F (K 276);
Sonata in f minor (K 69);
Sonata in f minor (K 183);
Sonata in G (K 283);
Sonata in G (K 284);
Sonata in G (K 328);
Sonata in g minor (K 93);
Sonata in b minor (K 87)
Scores
Domenico Scarlatti contributed to nearly every musical genre of his time, but he has become almost exclusively known as the composer of around 600 keyboard sonatas. They belong to the core of the repertoire of many harpsichordists, but also pianists, and they are also performed in arrangements for other instruments. There is no lack of recordings, and there are even a few complete recordings in the catalogue, such as those of Scott Ross, Richard Lester and Pieter-Jan Belder. In recent years several discs with selections from this large corpus have been released.
A difficult question with regard to the performance of Scarlatti's sonatas is what would be the ideal instrument to play them. It is known that his pupil, Maria Barbara, married to Ferdinando, the Spanish Infante, owned 12 keyboard instruments, divided among her palaces. Seven of these were harpsichords of various kinds and sizes, among them French instruments, the other five were fortepianos. Two of the latter, however, were rebuilt into harpsichords, suggesting that the sound of the harpsichord was very much preferred. None of the instruments have survived, therefore it is not possible to define exactly what they were like. Some of them must have been quite big: one had four pairs of strings and five stops, one of which may have been a 16'. Taking this into account, almost any instrument of that time - excluding modern instruments like the concert grand - seems legitimate.
That said, an instrument after German 18th-century models is probably the least obvious choice. It is unlikely that Scarlatti ever knew such an instrument. However, exactly that is the instrument Pierre Hantaï [I,II] plays on the fifth volume of his sequence of recordings of Scarlatti sonatas. The booklet to Volume 6 does not specify the harpsichord Hantaï plays, but it may well be the same instrument as in Volume 5.
Most of Scarlatti's sonatas have been preserved in two collections, now in Venice and in Parma respectively. One of the features is that most sonatas are distributed in pairs (and occasionally in threes), according to their tonality. In his liner-notes to Trevor Pinnock's recording of Scarlatti sonatas (Archiv, 1987), Malcolm Boyd writes: "Was the "pair-wise arrangement" (as Kirkpatrick called it) part of the composer's original conception? And should it be observed in performance? We shall probably never know for certain the answer to the first of these questions unless the missing autographs somehow turn up in large numbers (at present not a single sonata is known to exist in Scarlatti's hand). Except in a very few instances (...) there are no significant thematic connections to be found between the two sonatas of a pair, and each sonata is given a separate number in the sources. Nevertheless, Scarlatti must surely have supervised the copying of the Venice and Parma volumes and approved the arrangement in pairs as part of the process of bringing the works to their final form." Many performers observe Kirkpatrick's pairing which is expressed in the way he ordered the sonatas in his catalogue. Hantaï takes the freedom to perform sonatas separately or to create his own pairings. Volume 5 opens with the Sonata in B flat (K 551) without the preceding sonata K 550. In Volume 6 he plays a sequence of three sonatas in C major: K 384, 487, 170. This lends his performances a personal touch, which make them stand apart from what is already on the market.
Having heard his previous four volumes (not reviewed here), I was looking forward to the two latest additions to his project, and I was not disappointed. He plays with much aplomb and energy, and his performances are much more extrovert than one may expect, taking into account that he gives the impression of being a rather introvert personality. He is not afraid to let his hair down here. Listen to his fiery performance of the Sonata in E flat (K 253) and his brilliant interpretation of the Sonata in A (K 205) (Vol. 5). Very nice is the Sonata in C (K 502) (Vol. 6), where he now and then slows down the tempo, which strongly increases the tension. The theatrical aspects of the sonatas come off rather well. However, Scarlatti has also written some sonatas with tempo indications as andante and cantabile. These reveal Scarlatti's command of counterpoint. These two discs include some fine examples. One of my favourite pieces is the Sonata in b minor (K 87) (Vol. 6), which receives a wonderful performance here.
I mentioned that a German harpsichord is a rather unlikely choice for Scarlatti's sonatas. However, musically speaking it turns out to be quite suitable. Its strong sound fits the brilliance of these sonatas rather well, and also favours the percussionistic traits. It also allows for a clear articulation, which is instrumental in bringing across the rhythmic pulse, which is so important in these sonatas. This harpsichord is also the perfect tool to unfold the polyphonic web in the slower sonatas.
Hantaï started his project in 2002. Considering that the different volumes follow each other at a rather slow pace, it seems unlikely that he has planned a complete recording. However, it is to be hoped that more volumes will be released in the years to come. Scarlatti lovers should not miss these two discs (and the previous four).
Jean Rondeau [III] has made the headlines in recent years through public performances and recordings. It was probably inevitable that he would turn his attention to Scarlatti, whose sonatas are something like the ultimate challenge to any keyboard player. For his recording he chose a harpsichord which is comparable to that Hantaï plays: an instrument after German models. Rondeau selected fifteen sonatas; unfortunately most of them are rather well-known. From that angle this disc is no substantial addition to the discography. I would have liked a more adventurous programme.
His performances are certainly interesting, and have a clearly personal touch. Although some successive sonatas are in the same key, he seems mostly not to have looked for a pairing; five sonatas are performed separately. There is much to enjoy; I especially liked the Sonata in f minor (K 69), which has no tempo indication; Rondeau's choice of an andante tempo makes much sense, and as a result this sonata's counterpoint comes off perfectly. Equally convincing is the Sonata in g minor (K 30), which has the form of a fugue. Again, the tempo is spot-on. However, in some sonatas I find the tempi unsatisfying. The Sonata in C (K 132) has the indication cantabile; in my view it requires a tempo that is not too slow, but Rondeau plays it as an adagio. The sonata takes more than ten minutes, and I feel that it just drags on. Rondeau rightly adds ornamentation, but some of that I find not well-judged, and he tends to overdo it. The disc ends with the Sonata in f minor (K 481), with the addition andante e cantabile. Rondeau turns it into an adagio, and the repeated notes don't come off very naturally.
Scarlatti lovers may want to add this disc to their collection, as Rondeau is certainly not just a voice in the crowd. Overall, I have mixed feelings about this recital. The 30 second track in the middle, apparently an improvisation, and in modern style, makes little sense.
Next: Lillian Gordis [IV], who recorded a recital under the mysterious title "Zones", which she tries to explain, sort of, in her very short lines notes. I didn't quite get it, but that must be me. She, a pupil of - among others - Pierre Hantaï, also plays a German-style harpsichord, believe it or not. She has selected twelve sontas which she divided into three groups of four each, "strung together by similar tonalities and complementary/opposing energies".
The first group opens with the brilliant Sonata in D (K 219), played with much aplomb. The second group is structured in the way of a sonata da chiesa. The first and third have the tempo indication andante, the second and fourth vivo. The andante sonatas are slowish, and that goes in particular for the first, the Sonata in E (K 215); now and then it almost comes to a standstill. The cycle closes with the Sonata in E (K 264), which is one of the highlights: the slowing down of the tempo here and there creates a strong amount of tension, which perfectly fits the piece.
The third group starts with the Sonata in d minor (K 516), which has strong improvisational traits, which are not lost on Lillian Gordis. Notable are the pauses in this piece, which lend it a theatrical character. As a kind of bonus, the three groups are followed by a single piece, the Sonata in A (K 208), with the indication adagio e cantabile. The tempo is well chosen and the way it is played is cantabile indeed. It is another highlight of this disc, which as a whole I find not entirely convincing, but has enough good things to offer to be an attractive proposition for lovers of Scarlatti's sonatas.
The last disc is entirely different, in that Nicola Reniero [V] selected nineteen sonatas to be performed at the organ. In his liner-notes, he admits that only three sonatas are probably or certainly intended for the organ. The latter is the case with the Sonata in D (K 287), which has the indication per Organo da Camera con due tastatura Flautato e Trombone. "The other two sonatas contain generic indications regarding the change of keyboard and the use of the Flauto register, which corroborate the thesis that they were written for the organ." He goes on by saying that other sonatas are perfectly suitable for a performance at the organ. Among the sonatas he specifically mentions are those in f minor (K 69) and in b minor (K 87). Two sonatas have the title Pastorale, which could also indicate that the organ is the preferable instrument.
Reniero is not the first to perform Scarlatti sonatas at the organ. However, his recording show that it is not without risk to do so. Overall, I am not very enthusiastic about what is on offer here. There are several reasons for that. The first is the choice of instrument. Although the organ dates from the first half of the 19th century, its character makes it well suited for older music, firstly because Italian organ builders were often rather conservative, and secondly because the builder, Fratelli Serassi, made use of material from instruments of the 17th century. The main problem is that this organ is too large and that an organ situated in a church gives acoustical problems. The Sonata K 287 mentions an organo da camera. This does not necessarily refer to a small organ as is used today in the basso continuo. One may think here rather of an instrument like the one Anna Amalia, sister of Frederick the Great, owned, which had two manuals but no pedal. For this instrument Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed his six organ sonatas. Not only a smaller instrument would have been preferable, but also a less reverberant acoustic. This recording seriously suffers from the acoustic of the church where this recording was made. It would have been less of a problem, if Nicola Reniero had adapted his tempi to the acoustic, but too often he does not do that. The Sonata in G (K 284), which opens the programme, is a good example. The rhythmic pulse does not come off very well because of the reverberation in the church.
Elsewhere I am often not that happy with his choice of tempo anyway. The Sonata in f minor (K 69) comes without a tempo indication. Jean Rondeau, in his recording, rightly opted for an andante; Reniero's tempo is too fast. The siciliano in the second section of the Sonata in C (K 513) with the title 'Pastorale' hardly comes across due to the speed of Reniero's playing.
It is certainly nice to hear some of Scarlatti's sonatas on the organ, and especially the sonatas in moderate tempi and the fugues seem well suited to such an instrument. However, the present disc is not a very convincing case for such an option.
Johan van Veen (© 2020)
Relevant links:
Lillian Gordis
Nicola Reniero
Jean Rondeau