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Posted by Stephen on June 27, 19101 at 18:17:12:
In Reply to: Re: Think so, eh? posted by Marko on June 27, 19101 at 17:17:10:
: Hi, guys!,
: The temptation is huge so I got to answer to Your messages! And, even more, Your questions and opinions about pairing of the sonatas(Arnold! :-) )and choosing them for a recital program(Chris! :-) )are very interesting!
: Personally, I never play the sonatas in pair(at least, how Kirkpatrick paired them). Why? Because, in each pair, I always prefere one sonata to the other(it doesn't mean that I don't like the other. Simply, it's exactly like with girls: WE CAN'T HAVE THEM ALL!!! And, to choose for example, 20 sonatas of 555 for a recital program, We have to make the painful sacrifices! Sorry, no place for You my dear K. 553, 501, 467... even if I like You so much! I prefere Your twin sisters!). Even more, I don't always agree with mcript pairings and Kirkpatrick's choices! For exemple: K. 99-100!!! Come on, guys!!! Are You kidding me??? K. 99 is my favorite sonata number 3!!! She simply CAN'T be paired with, yes, this lovely K. 100, but, hey, let's be serious! K. 99 is one of the most tragic, most pionate, I'd even say most pathetic sonatas! K. 100 is too far away from it! Stylistically, I mean! Another world! It completes and makes a good contrast to K. 99, You'd say? Not at all! Arnold, You remember when You said a hungry owl and a chicken(for one page in K. 502 that reminded me "La Poule" de J.-Ph. Rameau)? I liked it VERY much! And I'd use Your expression exactly here for K. 99-100!
: Chronology, neither, I do not always agree with Kirpatrick! Let's say OK for the last sonatas! But for the rest and especially "young" sonatas I have a big doubts! Check out Giorgio Pestelli! VERY, VERY interesting! He published in 1967 a different chronology of the sonatas based, as I mentioned before, on stylistic evidence! Oh, yes, it's evident for me too that Essercizi are not Scarlatti's first 30 sonatas! For Pestelli it's number 57-86! And guess what, my favorite K. 48 is P. 87!!!(the first after Essercizi). Well, why not, I like that idea! The young Scarlatti! The tiger! After Pestelli, many sonatas were written in Italy(probably in Scarlatti's youth). So P. 1 is K. 72! I agree! At least, I have nothing to say to refute the idea! P. 2 is K. 37!...OK! I'll stop!
: Stephen, You said, You'd pair K. 1 to K. 213 if I am not mistaken? Well, a problem for me. I adore K. 213, one of the most tender and lyrical sonatas. A very "mature" sonata so for me it doesn't mach with K. 1(however I find the strange ressemblance between bars 8-9 in K. 1 and bar 11 in K. 213(and similar pages). Arnold, for K. 258 I am angry with our Dom. Why? Because He composes such a beautiful and cute page(yes, Chris, what a modulations!) :-) in bars 19-25, and the rest of the sonata??? I don't find any interest in it! So any way I wouldn't pair it to K. 53 wich I adore(all of it, and especially those Alberi bes in the right hand).
: So, how do I choose the sonatas for a recital? The style! Last year I played a recital with so called "last" sonatas! The sonatas of Scarlatti's "maturity"! Now this is very logical to me, very understandable for the public! There is a subject, a theme to explaine with all those sonatas so stylistically close to each other and so "cohérentes"(grrrr...how do You say it in english?). So, here is what I played(in this ordre): K. 441, 461, 466, 474, 479, 481(Chris :-)!), 497 and in the second half K. 502(no kidding?!), 507, 514, 526, 545, 552(oh!) and 555. But some of those sonatas weren't really my favorite ones(of 555)! I prefere however to devide the sonatas in smaller thematic groups and to present them like that to the public(even if I have to play four or five sonatas with the same character or tempo. Usually it's good(for the public) to insert the "slow" sonatas, like I did even at my "last" sonatas recital. It calms the "pressure" on the listener. And those "lyrical" sonatas sound so good on the piano. Oh, yes, I use a lot of pedal in it. For the rest, I try to imitate the harpsichord, at least what I hear on the recordings of Scott Ross and others, with my personal touch, of course!). So, my thematic groups will be: 1. Alberti b(favorites: K. 48, 99, 227, 461...); 2. Ostinato(favorites: K. 114, 187, 206...); 3. Acciaccaturas(favorites: K. 119, 137, 175, 212...); 4. Rythme complexe(favorites: K. 247, 502...); 5. Polyphony(favorites: K. 147, 497, 526, 555...); 6. Same melody, motif or repeated note with harmonies that changes(favorites: K. 133, 435, 552...)... I'll think of other groups...
: So, September, the 15th I am going to give a Scarlatti recital in Paris with my 20 favorite sonatas. In this ordre: K. 206(good for the ouverture!), 247, 227, 497, 194, 555, 466, 187, 481, 147 and in the second half K. 507, 99, 158, 48(no, not at the end!), 474, 502(neither!), 526, 749, 552 and 337! Any change will be possible. Any suggestion of anybody of You guys will be highly appreciated!
: Marko
You know, Marko, when I performed on stage, I learned by trial and error to always start with an up-tempo piece. You must be careful not to make your audience sleepy at the beginning. That's why I would suggest putting K 206 (it is a very beautiful sonata, indeed)later in your program. Start off your concert with a rousing piece that will have the audience spellbound, like K 421. Now, there's a sonata, filled with terrific energy, that sounds like DS had an orchestra in mind when he wrote it. It is very impressive, for the performer and the listener, right at the start. Wake them up and have them begging for more.
Stephen
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