Recording Review #66: Sumptuous Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti: Selected Keyboard Sonatas. Javier Perianes, pianist. Harmonia Mundi HMM902768. 

Here's another lesson in the value of repeat listens. My immediate impression on jumping right into the first sonata (K. 491, D Major) was "yuck, what is he doing!?" Compared to the steady, drier performance by Vladimir Horowitz that I was used to (see Sony SK 53460), Perianes's somewhat freer take initially came as a jolt. But I pressed on, and every subsequent selection in this well-chosen assortment of sonatas soothed my apprehensions...so much that when I went back to listen to K. 491 again I was significantly more amenable to what Perianes does with it. It took me a little while to embrace his vision for this music. I'm glad I finally did. 

What I eventually realized is that Perianes performs these works in an unapologetically pianistic manner, as opposed to following the commonly-adopted, neat-and-crisp approach that seems to carry the obligatory nod toward the harpsichord. The latter may be what I'm accustomed to, but the truth is that Perianes more closely realizes the implications of something I've long thought: Domenico Scarlatti had a strong proto-Romantic streak. It was Perianes's glowing performances of the slow numbers especially that helped convert me to his K. 491 and other quick ones. I've heard the famous K. 466 F Minor many times, but rarely so "nocturney" as it's played here. Other slow numbers with which I was less (or not) familiar – K. 185 (another F Minor) and K. 128 (one of just TWO Scarlatti sonatas in B-Flat Minor!) – come off similarly. 

Other highlights include the K. 492 D Major, which Perianes imbues with more color and life than in every other performance I remember hearing. Then there's perhaps the most famous Scarlatti sonata of all – K. 380 in E Major. I think I've already mentioned on this blog that the latter work reminds me of Christmas somehow. If I had heard it right after K. 491 during my first listen-through, I might not have had the heart to continue. But by this 13th track Perianes had basically won me over. It's still like Christmas to me, but maybe there are slightly different lights and ornaments on the tree. 

I've heard many Scarlatti albums by now, and a good deal of them contain a less-frequently-performed sonata that becomes a new favorite of mine. In this case the honor goes to the K. 193 E-Flat Major. What an amazing piece of different moods and hues! If I were to hunt down and listen (or re-listen) to other renditions of it, I feel confident by now Perianes's would more than hold its own. I'm grateful to him for showing me that there is plenty more to be experienced in performances of these 555 delights.  

Verdict: Highly Recommended