Scarlatti's use of mixed musical styles, often in strong opposition, was a progressive trait, distinguishing him from typical Baroque music and marking him as a modernist.
Album & Artwork
The album's cover photograph by Benjamin Ealovega aims to reflect the concept of the 'paradox of the mirror' and the idea of finding one's true self by confronting an unfamiliar image.
Performer Biography
Federico Colli, the Italian pianist on this recording, won First Prize at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg (2011) and the Gold Medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition (2012).
Interpretation
On this album, pianist Federico Colli creates his own sonata pairs, often not in the same key, departing from the historical practice of pairing works in the same tonality.
Composer Biography
Domenico Scarlatti, an Italian composer, spent most of his mature career in Portugal and Spain, making his keyboard works difficult to classify by country.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Scarlatti's personality, through the idea of the 'double' (paired sonatas), seems to look towards the future and even the present, thanks to the positive role of opposition.
Compositional Technique
Scarlatti's keyboard style includes bold rule-breaking, unusual harmonic progressions, and extreme dissonances, almost suggesting an 'emancipation of the dissonance' found in early 20th-century music.
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