Search - Domenico Scarlatti, Pierre Hantaï :: Scarlatti: 22 Sonates pour clavecin

Supercharged Readings with the Widest Possible Range of Colo

Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 02/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording hasn't received a review? That's ridiculous! This is about as WOW! a performance on the harpsichord of Scarlatti as I've ever heard in concert or on records - and I've heard several of the great old timers, including Kipnis, Kirkpatrick, and Valenti. What makes Hantaï so thrilling is his insatiable curiosity for ever newer and bolder effects, a ringmaster's sense for giving an audience more than one show at a time. Topping it all is a bubbling youthful zeal, though zeal doesn't do Hantaï's energy level justice - his variety and his recklessness are amazing, he takes tremendous chances, and hits some unbelieveable speeds. Every possible color of the instrument he uses is toyed with and brought out, sometimes tenderly, but more often with elan, panache, brio, gusto - whatever, Hantaï's loaded with the stuff!



Most important, Hantaï is quite unafraid to play Scarlatti the way the composer intends - if Scarlatti repeats a chord six or seven times, Hantaï plays it straight, and doesn't try and fudge the passage into a progression or going somewhere - blocks of chords are just that, blocks. And best of all, Hantaï loves nothing better than rubbing pianists noses in his colorful exhibitionism - he's forever playing the music in a most unpianistic manner - Hantaï proclaims Scarlatti's music sounds best THIS way, and you can't touch me for color or excitement!



Yet after playing the music so wonderfully, Hantai in his own notes claims pianists understand Scarlatti's musical structure better than most harpsichord specialists. When he wrote these notes the finest modern player of Scarlatti on the piano, Sudbin, Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas was still in elementary school, so I don't understand who Hantaï has in mind. It sounds good Pierre, but your sensational baroque style of playing says otherwise!



An immediate first choice in this music. Hantaï recorded this in 1992, he's recently recorded more Scarlatti sonatas in slightly more measured readings. There are now three volumes in this new series - they're expensive, but well worth the price! Scarlatti 3 - Pierre Hantaï (There you will find G. Winford's superb review of this outstanding recording.)

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