Search - Nicolosi :: Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 9

Probably Not for Everyone

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 06/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This, the ninth of the Naxos series comprising the whole of Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, has been assigned to the Sicilian pianist Francesco Nicolosi. Others have been played, by among others, Benjamin Frith, Konstantin Scherbakov, Jeno Jändo and an exciting newcomer, Soyeon Lee, e.g., Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 1, Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 2, Scarlatti: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 8 It is not, in my opinion, one of the best of the lot. For one thing Nicolosi, who specializes in, of all things, the music of the Austrian composer Sigismund Thalberg, plays these pieces much too much as if they had been written in the nineteenth century. That is to say, he uses too much pedal, swoons and swans over phrasing, and has much the most tempo instability of all the pianists in this series. Still, he is a talented player with clean technique and a clear idea of what he is about, and one always admires a player who knows his own mind. I'm sure there are those for whom his approach will be appreciated. And indeed there are a few of the thirteen sonatas here presented that are more successful than others.



For instance, the first band on the CD is devoted to the Sonata in D Minor, K52/L267/P42, which is one of the more densely harmonized slow sonatas. It lends itself to Nicolosi's almost Brahmsian approach. The same is true of his way with the Sonata in D Major, K277/L183/P275. Among the faster sonatas, he does well with the toccata-like Sonata in G Major, K79/L80/P204, although there is a bit too much pedal for my taste.



Recorded sound is good, and the piano is well-regulated.



One feature of this release is a small announcement at the end of the enclosed booklet trumpeting a 'Free Download from Classicsonline!'. One goes to classicsonline.com and is able, using a 'promotion code', to download a track from an album of Soler Sonatas for Harpsichord. A nice touch.



Scott Morrison



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