Search - Domenico Scarlatti, Maria Tipo :: Scarlatti: 18 Sonatas

First rate Scarlatti!

M. Levitt - classical music buff | Philadelphia, PA | 05/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A fine collection of Scarlatti piano sonatas on several counts: quality of performance; generous number of Scarlatti sonatas, both early and late, on one CD; and price.



Maria Tipo, on the basis of this disc, is a wonderful pianist. A prizewinner in the Queen Elisabeth's International Competition (1952), she is relatively unknown yet seems an assured, highly skilled, elegant and graceful pianist. Her playing sparkles throughout, and grips the listener from the very beginning. Her program ranges from early to late sonatas and, despite the fact that only three of the Scarlatti piano sonatas played here are in minor keys, with seven of the sonatas in G major, her program offers real contrast and variety.



She plays 18 Scarlatti sonatas on one CD. Listening time is about 74 minutes - quite generous. That is more than Horowitz or Pogorelich, which cost more. Tipo's CD is budget price.



In sum, one of the best all Scarlatti Piano Sonata CDs I know, including Horowitz (Sony), Pogorelich (DGG) Pletnev (Virgin) and Andjaparidze (Naxos). This is a disc I've been unable to resist listening to repeatedly, both because it is that good, but also because Maria Tipo plays so many less familiar, top drawer Scarlatti sonatas."

Superb Scarlatti

BLee | HK | 10/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Well, the earlier review has covered almost everything.



I would only add Zacharias's 49 Scarlatti Sonatas (EMI) to the list mentioned, and nonetheless I prefer Tipo in the whole list. And other than elegance and gracefulness, her playing also possesses a remarkable sense of proportion which is essential in both the Baroque and Classical repertoire.



To those who like Tipo's playing, they may find Michelangeli's (or even Lipatti's) Scarlatti delightful as well-- albeit the latters had recorded only a few of them. They shouldn't forget to check Tipo's Clementi out as well: she was the first to record Clementi's complete Sonatas after all: Tipo is a great interpreter of the Italian keyboard literature."

A Slight Minority Report

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 02/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would love to give this CD my full recommendation, but I feel I must at least let others know that Tipo's playing here is just a bit overromantic in style. There is a lot of rubato and really rather extreme molding of dynamics. She is indeed a wonderful pianist and I've loved other recordings she has made, including her fine Goldberg Variations, but I found myself listening more to 'what is she going to do next' (meaning how is she going to haul around the musical pulse or dynamics) than listening to the music itself, at least some of the time.



Still, this is, as piano-playing, quite wonderful. If that sounds like a contradiction to what I'd just said, please understand that I just think her style of playing Scarlatti is not what some purists would expect or want.



One other thing: the sound is a bit reverberant. I don't find it off-putting but some might prefer a drier acoustic.



Scott Morrison"