Clementi: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Featuring

Howard Shelley
Muzio Clementi

Did you know?

1/7

Notable Performances

Clementi participated in a famous piano contest against Mozart on Christmas Eve 1781, staged by Emperor Joseph II for the amusement of his guests.

Composer Biography

Muzio Clementi, the composer, was born while Handel was still alive and died after Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and late quartets were composed, having also attended Franz Liszt's London debut in 1824.

Recording & Production

This album is the first volume in a complete chronological survey of Clementi's piano sonatas, performed by Howard Shelley.

Critical Reception

Mozart was critical of Clementi's playing, calling him a 'mechanicus' and a 'ciarlatano' (charlatan), despite Clementi's international admiration as a player.

Composer Biography

At thirteen, Clementi was 'bought' by an English traveller, Sir Peter Beckford, from his father for seven years to serve as a low-cost musical establishment at Beckford's rural estate.

Historical Context

Clementi's fame was almost solely based on his piano playing and compositions, reflecting the surging popularity of the piano in Western Europe among middle-class households and for amateur players.

Compositional Technique

Clementi's sonatas from the 1780s are noted for their virtuoso feats, including lightning-fast runs in thirds and octaves, and an expressive radicalism that influenced the young Beethoven.