Scarlatti / Black,Virginia - Keyboard Sonatas - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Black Virginia - Sonatas for Harpsichord [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/01/2009

After the resounding success of Volume 1 (Gramophone Editor's Choice, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Diapason d'Or, Choc de Classica, FFFF Télérama), the project to record the complete Sibelius symphonies continues with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Santtu-Matias Rouvali, whose career as a conductor is entering top gear he has just been appointed Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. At the turn of the twentieth century, as Finland struggled to free itself from Russian rule, Sibelius and his wife faced several domestic dramas, including the loss of one of their daughters, Kirsti, to typhoid fever. The Second Symphony, written in the brilliant key of D major, seems to be marked by the events of the composer's private life, but many of his contemporaries nevertheless saw it as a political manifesto! In 1898, Sibelius composed the incidental music for Adolf Paul's play King Christian II, the story of the downfall of a king of Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) in the sixteenth century. The suite derived from it was successfully performed in several European cities.

What an impossible task- to select for this recordingjust three out of Beethoven's extraordinary body of piano sonatas! I've settled on three from different periods of his life, both to demonstrate the striking originality of his output and to illustrate how the challenges of his difficult life and health are reflected in his music. These sonatas express so excitingly the elemental power of Beethoven's music and it's impact on the human psyche. The three Sonatas are perfect examples of how Beethoven broke the rules of composition that preceded him, establishing his own trademark style. Loud, soft; fast, slow; dramatic key changes; silences... harmonically daring, provocative, surprising. The uncompromising emotion and energy in Beethoven's music, combined with his propensity to break the compositional 'rules' of the day, is what leads to the visceral thrill these sonatas provide. No wonder the Pathetique reportedly had ladies swooning in the aisles at early performances by Beethoven himself! It's illuminating to listen to Beethoven's works with an awareness of his personality and mental state at the time of composition, and in the notes that follow, John Suchet sets the scene for us. I'm indebted to John for so vividly setting the piano sonatas in the context of Beethoven's life and times. PASSION is the word most associated with Beethoven and, ultimately, the only thing that really mattered to him was his music. For that reason, perhaps, the best way to listen to these sonatas is to allow yourself to be drawn into the music, and to be swept along by the emotion, to share in Beethoven's passion, and to be consumed by it! [Virginia Black]