Domenico Scarlatti: Ten Sonatas

Featuring

Christyna Kaczynski-Kozel
Domenico Scarlatti

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

Scarlatti's sonatas are groundbreaking for their exploration of new technical demands and expressive possibilities for the harpsichord, including lively rhythmic vitality, innovative dissonances, and Iberian folk music elements.

Composer Biography

Scarlatti's career took a significant turn in 1719 when he became Maestro di Capella for King João V of Portugal, where he taught the king's daughter, Maria Barbara.

Performer Biography

Christyna Kaczynski-Kozel, the pianist on this album, was mentored by the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, who encouraged her to play Scarlatti.

Compositional Technique

Many of Scarlatti's sonatas incorporate folkloristic elements such as castanets, drums, guitars, and hunting horn scenes.

Composition History

Scarlatti composed the majority of his 555 harpsichord sonatas, which form his lasting legacy, while serving Maria Barbara in Spain.

Cultural Impact

Scarlatti's work laid the foundations for the development of the classical sonata form and influenced later composers like Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.