Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 181 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # 340 1162-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2003
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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Has been one of the best musical discoveries I've had: those of Scarlatti Sonatas, the interpretation of Christian Zacharias and the MDG label. A superb full of poetry with a unique sound abosultamente crystal clear. A disc highly recommended for lovers of classical music for piano. SA-CD.net

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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review by Blair Sanderson

Controversy often surrounds Christian Zacharias because his unorthodox but carefully researched interpretations of the Classical and Romantic repertoire break traditional taboos and sometimes sound shocking to jaded ears. True to form, Zacharias brings his scholarly insights and originality to the Baroque sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and performs them with a historian's sense of their idiom and a pianist's recognition of their expressive potential. Written for the harpsichord, Scarlatti's sonatas need to be played crisply and cleanly on the piano, without much pedaling; yet this does not mean they should be played dryly or mechanically. Zacharias often imitates the harpsichord's tone in his light touch and his tightly executed ornaments. But he also takes advantage of the piano's responsiveness and greater dynamic range, and plays the music with smooth, natural phrasing and avoids the pedantic pitfall of terraced dynamics, which sound lifeless on the piano. The even balance between what is historically appropriate and what is practicable on the piano makes sense musically, and what Zacharias has done for Scarlatti, in expressive depth and intellectual coherence, is comparable to the feeling and thought Glenn Gould brought to Bach. MDG's direct sound is clear and vibrant, though the acoustics may be too resonant for some tastes. allmusicguide

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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In recent years, Christian Zacharias has become as well known a conductor as a pianist. Fortunately for us, this highly respected artist continues to apply himself to the instrument. With one or two exceptions, his extensive discography as a pianist has focused on the Austro-German repertoire: Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and, particularly, Mozart, performances of whose solo works and concertos have earned excellent reviews. The major exception is Scarlatti. Zacharias features in a documentary film Domenico Scarlatti in Seville and recorded two volumes of sonatas for EMI before this one for his current label, MDG.

I have to confess that, in spite of all the great pianists who have recorded Scarlatti, with Horowitz leading the pack, I still generally prefer to hear the sonatas played on a harpsichord. Only the harpsichord can give full value to the crunching discords, the coruscating scales, the guitar effects, etc. Having said that, I further need to confess that I have myself played certain sonatas on the piano, not to mention in arrangements for recorder ensemble. With that admission, I had better keep any ‘authenticity’ arguments to myself and get on with discussing this CD.

And highly enjoyable it is, with Zacharias giving tasteful, clear and unexaggerated performances of a well-chosen selection of sonatas. One of the great things about not being a Scarlatti specialist is that every new CD brings fresh treasures and almost all the sonatas on this disc were new to me. K 126 is galant in style and receives an appropriately poised performance. In contrast, K 450 in the same key of C minor has the flavour of Spanish dances. K 108 is powerful, quite pianistic in fact. The serenity of K 384 contrasts with the almost Beethoven-like quirkiness of K 406.

And so it goes on, with Zacharias meeting all the diverse musical and technical challenges with equanimity. In K 518, he employs a subtle rubato, crisp articulation and well-pointed ornamentation. In the restless agitato of K 519, Mendelssohn of all people came to mind; how easy it would be to give characteristic ‘songs-without-words’ titles to these sonatas! Zacharias is adept at handling Scarlatti’s frequent abrupt changes of mood, such as in K 434 where a quiet melancholy suddenly gives way to strength and power.

When I reached the end of this CD, I had forgotten that the harpsichord existed. These are rewarding performances of deeply-felt music and, however many Scarlatti recordings you have, you could beneficially add this one to your collection.

Roger Blackburn musicweb-international

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Domenico Scarlatti - Christian Zacharias, Piano - Sonatas [MDG 340 1162-2] {Germany 2003}

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