Kudos to Naxos for the way it has handled its ongoing series covering Domenico's enormous body of keyboard sonatas: in a repertory only (at best) loosely divisible into chronological or stylistic groupings, they have opted instead to divide the sonatas up among different performers. The buyer gets to look at these miniature masterworks, which can be performed in so many different ways, through different lenses. The label has not shied away from strongly pianistic readings of the sort that were heard 50 years ago, when ...
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Kudos to Naxos for the way it has handled its ongoing series covering Domenico's enormous body of keyboard sonatas: in a repertory only (at best) loosely divisible into chronological or stylistic groupings, they have opted instead to divide the sonatas up among different performers. The buyer gets to look at these miniature masterworks, which can be performed in so many different ways, through different lenses. The label has not shied away from strongly pianistic readings of the sort that were heard 50 years ago, when Scarlatti was one of the few Baroque composers known outside small circles of performers and supporting enthusiasts. This volume is by Francesco Nicolosi, an Italian pianist who has specialized in the likes of Thalberg and Liszt, so it's no surprise it falls into the highly pianistic category. Nicolosi uses heavy dynamic contrasts and plenty of pedal. In the faster works he is given to bending the tempo a bit, especially toward the ends of phrases. Check out the Sonata in C minor, K. 139...
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