Keyboard Sonatas: Pletnev(P)

The sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti occupy a special place in keyboard literature. Like that of his contemporaries Bach and Handel, Scarlatti's music, originally written for the harpsichord or clavier, translates seamlessly to the modern piano. While these composers wrote in a contrapuntal style, Scarlatti chose a more ornamental yet homophonic approach. His sonatas contain an assortment of influences: Scarlatti lived in both Portugal and Spain and was greatly affected by the dances and songs of the day, and he was constantly exposed to indigenous folk and guitar music. Many of the techniques that Scarlatti used in the sonatas (i.e., rapid passages, hand-crossings, wide arpeggiated leaps) were precursors to later works by Chopin and Liszt. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind while listening to this recording is that the sonatas are open to interpretation; certainly Mikhail Pletnev takes more than a liberty here and there. This may irritate one listener while inspiring another, but Pletnev cannot be blamed for exercising creative license. It is the ability of a genius such as Scarlatti to give a performer such an opportunity free of compositional constraints.