Clementi: Gradus ad Parnassum, Vol. 3 (Nos. 42-65)

Featuring

Alessandro Marangoni
Muzio Clementi

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Clementi's encounter with Mozart revealed to him a 'Viennese elegance' that valued musical substance and melodic grace, influencing his later works beyond mere mechanics.

Composer Biography

Muzio Clementi was not only a composer and performer but also a successful music publisher and piano manufacturer, securing exclusive English printing rights with Beethoven.

Composer Biography

Despite being revered as 'the father of the pianoforte,' Clementi first made his name as a harpsichord virtuoso and only devoted himself exclusively to the piano in the mid-1780s.

Composition History

Clementi's three-volume Gradus ad Parnassum, Op. 44, completed in 1826, is a collection of 100 exercises designed to achieve the highest level of musical and technical perfection.

Composer Biography

Muzio Clementi, the composer, was 'purchased' from his family at age 14 by a member of the British Parliament and taken to England.

Notable Performances

Muzio Clementi participated in a legendary competition with Mozart in 1781, arranged by Emperor Joseph II of Austria, testing improvisational skill, virtuosity, and compositional mastery.

Performer Biography

Alessandro Marangoni, the pianist on this recording, holds an honours degree in philosophy from the Università di Pavia, with a thesis on Fernando Liuzzi's philosophy of music.