Domenico Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 7 (2004)

Konstantin Scherbakov Plays Scarlatti

Over the last 25 years of his long life, Domenico Scarlatti (1685--1757) composed over 550 short sonatas for keyboard (harpsichord) to the delight of innumerable music lovers since his time. Naxos is in the process of issuing a set of the complete Scarlatti sonatas on the piano, with each the works on each CD performed by a different pianist. (Most of the pianists, to date, are not specialists in early music.) I will always prefer this music on the harpsichord although I play Scarlatti myself on the piano. Naxos's approach has the virtue of allowing the listener to hear a great many different musical approaches to Scarlatti. In addition, because each CD is part of a projected complete set of the sonatas, they feature a mix of works, rather than the handful of pieces that tend to get selected for anthologies. There is a great deal of music to be explored even by those familiar with Scarlatti. These works are a never-ending source of joy.

Volume 7 of the Naxos series features the young Russian pianist, Konstantin Scherbakov. Sherbakov's considerable recorded output includes performances on Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven symphonies and of the music of Godowsky. But to me he is best-known for his excellent performance of Shostakovich's "24 Preludes and Fugues" opus 87 which I reviewed on this site some time ago. I described his playing there as "quiet, restrained and thoughtful" -- a feeling shared by most of the Amazon reviewers, and I think this description fits his performance of Scarlatti on this CD as well.

Scherbakov's playing seems subdued and introspective on this disk with little of the showiness that Scarlatti's music frequently invites. His playing is romantic in character and in tempo and in its use of the pedal. Scherbakov uses to the full the dynamics of the piano (which are unavailable on the harpsichord) and the tone of the instrument. His phrasing is distinct as between smooth legato passages and staccatto passages. Scherbakov uses a very controlled touch on these pieces with the left hand frequently playing noticeably softer than the right. (Listen to tracks 3 and 5 for examples.)

This CD consists of 16 sonatas. Unlike other CD's in this series I have heard, most of the works were unfamiliar to me. Becoming familiar with the range of his works is one of the pleasures of listening to Scarlatti. The works included tend to come from the softer, more lyrical side of Scarlatti without pyrotechnics. Of the sixteen sonatas, only three are in a minor key. The sonatas range from the early sonata in F major, K. 17 to the late sonata in F major K. 542, but most of the works tend to be in the K. 2,3, or 4 hundreds.

I enjoyed greatly the sonata in F. K.542 which, as noted, is the latest sonata on the CD. This is a quiet, meditative work with lovely trills and bell-like passages. It is also the longest work on this CD. I also particularly liked the sonata in A major K. 500 which features shimmering legato passages in sixths. The final work on the CD, the sonata in D major, K. 479, was familiar to me. This is a lively work with many contrasting phrases and themes of different moods.

The program notes prepared by Keith Anderson are an added attraction to the Naxos series. Each volume comes with a good short description of each work, and each adds some information about the sonatas and about Scarlatti for the interested listener. Thus, this volume includes a discussion of the manner in which Scarlatti's works were published during his lifetime and the discussion is integrated with the treatment of the individual sonatas.

This CD will appeal to listeners who love or who want to get to love the music of Scarlatti.