I haven't done this for a while; so let's see if this submission works. Once I'm certain it's up and running I'll add interpretive details, etc...

Scarlatti - Sonata in F minor, K. 69

OK... I see it's up. Now how do I get it to simply "play" as oppose to being "saved". That is, the immediate play option doesn't show up for me. I don't know about others.

JG

A few comments (while I try to figure out how to get this file to play the way I want it to.)

I was working on the C Major P&F combo from WTC 2, but became a little overwhelmed with interpretive lacunae (as I perceived them) in my reading of the Prelude. Ergo: time for a break..... I came across this particular Sonata courtesy of the great Christian Zacharias recording of this piece (which I cannot possibly manage to equal). It seems very beautiful to me, and not at first blush terribly difficult to get under the fingers.

Listeners who know this piece will recognize that I doubled up a few pedal points (well, I call them that), and that I shamelessly omitted some ornaments. Zacharias ends the second half of the Sonata in F Major; but I could not bring myself to do this, because it simply isn't in my version of the piece. My photocopy (with no reference to the edition), gives F Minor; so there you go.

The gold standard for Scarlatti, played at the piano, is I think Maria Tipo. But I don't have her account of this piece, if indeed she's ever recorded it!

Cheers,

JG

This is up, John. Sounded nicely-played. Great sound-quality too!

That's weird.... when I click on the link for the Sonata I get "Chopin first editions..." And I got absolutely nothing against Chopin first editions, or any editions..... but.... hmmmm..

JG

I'm sorry. I fixed it.

Thanks muchly!

JG

Well John Lewis Grant, my musical horizon has just been expanded thanks to you! I would never have thought the music I was listenng to was D. Scarlatti. That work is sublimely beautiful, and I think you played it beautifully. I do not have the work in my library (only have about 100 of his sonatas) but would love to. Which collection do you have it in?
Regards, Eddy

It is a beautiful sonata, and you do play it beautifully, John. I enjoyed that very much. Scarlatti is rarely so ... romantic, you might almost say, but when he is, he pulls it off as artfully as he does any other style that he uses. Eddy, I have the EMB Urtext "200 sonatas" collection, which features this sonata in volume 1. I haven't got the score with me, but I'm fairly sure there's nothing in it to indicate you should go into the major for the ending.

The "Tierce de Picardi" is a device which may be either dictated by the composer (e.g. Chopin Etude Op.10, No. 6 in Eb minor), or improvized by a performer if it serves the context and style, but that does take serious conviction. (if surprise is NOT in order, then don't end on the major)

It's one of these Scarlatti's that reminds us (as if we needed reminding) he was not all about keyboard pyrotechnics, but really a deep and sensitive composer. I almost love the slow sonatas more than the fast ones, they're usually achingly beautiful.

A deeply considered and unsually personal interpretation, this one. A bit more romantic freedom (in terms of rubato and dynamics) than I would have done, but it's a valid choice. My only (very little) nag is that maybe you are using a bit much pedal in places. Or maybe it's the reverb, but I seem to hear some blurring here and there. Anyway, great playing and great sound.

I liked the rhythmic freedom and gentle tone quality. I think you could make the 3/4 metre clearer at the start--I wouldn't have guessed the time signature without looking at a score! There's a false accent on the A flat in bar 3. You need to be careful at phrase endings that your diminuendo doesn't lead to a loss of clarity; for instance, in bar 8 it's as if you're mumbling. Overall a most enjoyable performance, thanks.

For what it's worth, John Sankey has typeset the complete Scarlatti sonatas--you can download them for free from http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Scarlatti,_Domenico. It's not the most authoritative edition (he doesn't say what his sources are, as far as I can tell), but it's very convenient. Sankey seems to think it ends in the major too. There's a first edition in a local library here; I'll see if I can remember to check it out.

Hi John,

I was very impressed with this beautiful sonata and your marvelous rendition. We customarily think of the transition from the Viennese Classical period to the Romantic era as being effected by Beethoven, Schubert and Weber. But this Scarlatti piece (and some by Bach are also quite sublime) indicates that the capability for very expressive lyricism existed long before those two composers! Thanks for sharing your fine recording!

David

This is a lovely performance, with poetry, a limpid piano tone, and many nice touches. It's been a while since I listened to any Scarlatti, so thank you for reminding me what I've been missing!

I have nothing to add to the comments above, except to say that this is one of those Scarlatti sonatas that would have made me change my opinion of his music, had I not know about it beforehand.

Surprisingly, there are a number of recordings of the K 69 up at Youtube, including one by the prolific Jando. I think the Zacharias is better, but it's not on the Tube. The waterfall motif, let us call it, is everywhere in this piece. Jando seems to miss it, but Zacharias completely grasps it. In hindsight (20/20 naturally) one might say I start out too tentatively. Room for improvement here, because of course maintaining the rhythmic flow of this particular Adagio is of paramount importance. Ornaments? Where are they? One doesn't want to go for cheap or superficial effects in Scarlatti; especially in this Sonata, which is a kind of complex unveiling of something ominous and foreboding (death?) at the end. But the ornamentation probably assists here; so I missed an opportunity. My fear was that I might end up drawing attention away from the substantial, meaty stuff, which is everywhere in this piece.

I think I would like to have a go at the other famous (more famous, I suppose) F minor, L 466. Not quite as interesting as the earlier L 382, but still very beautiful and, again, simple but very, very elusive.

I'm off to hear Tafelmusik doing the B minor Mass--my favourite big choral work of all time .... until I heard the St. Matt's Passion, that is.

JG