Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas K 183 and K 142 (Carrillo)

Описание: Hello everyone, and happy March!

I intended to post this video last month, but some things unfortunately got in the way. I'm just glad I was able to find the time to record before Spring Break!

For me, these two pieces are a trip down memory lane. Back when I was a sophomore in high school, I found myself falling down a rabbit hole of Scarlatti. Every chance I had, I'd put on my headphones and become immersed in the seemingly endless number of Scarlatti recordings done by the legendary harpsichordist Scott Ross. Towards the end of that school year (and of that rabbit hole), two of those pieces stood out to me: his sonatas K 183 and K 142.

In regards to the K 183, Ross takes a much more mechanical and academic approach, adhering to the "Allegro" marking that Scarlatti wrote. However, I found that most recordings done on the piano were taken at a much slower tempo. While that makes more sense to me (from a musical standpoint), those recordings on the piano were filled to the brim with mindless, unplanned rubato. It's easy to forget that Scarlatti is still a BAROQUE composer: everything should be done with a steady rhythm and a plan in place for any musical choices, otherwise the piece loses its impact. I tried to have all of that in mind when recording it - there's definitely room to improve, for sure.

For the K142, its most popular recording is by Ross, and there are VERY few videos out there done on the piano. Sandro Ivo Bartoli, who I believe is the only pianist to record all 555 of Scarlatti's sonatas, hailed K142 as a "great masterpiece," and "[couldn't] understand why it isn't better known." I fully agree with that sentiment. So, in order to (somewhat) do this piece justice, much thought was put into each interpretative choice. Although I had fun learning and interpreting this piece, I'll admit this was a tricky one to get a semi-decent recording out of. There's definitely room to improve.

Hopefully, this context will help you appreciate these wonderful pieces by Scarlatti, and perhaps this can be the first step into giving them the recognition they rightfully deserve. I pray this video brings some light into your lives, and I'll be back again very soon!