Galuppi: Passatempo al cembalo

Featuring

Annalisa Martella
Baldassare Galuppi

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Performer Biography

Annalisa Martella, the harpsichordist on this album, studied harpsichord with E. Giordani Sartori and Ferruccio Vignanelli, and completed advanced studies with Christiane Jaccottet in Geneva.

Compositional Technique

The manuscript for 'Passatempo al Cembalo' is notable for its meticulous dynamic and expressive markings, such as 'legato', 'sciolto', 'dolce', and 'rissoluto'.

Composition History

In 1782, a collection of 6 harpsichord sonatas by Galuppi was presented to Paul Petrovich, son of Empress Catherine and future Czar of Russia.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Galuppi's 'Passatempo al Cembalo' was intended as a kaleidoscope of the harpsichord's technical and expressive possibilities, confirming Robert Browning's description of the composer as 'good alike at grave and gay'.

Composition History

Although Galuppi had composed over 130 keyboard sonatas, he had not written for the instrument since 1760, making the 'Passatempo al Cembalo' a significant rediscovery.

Recording & Production

This recording commemorates the 300th anniversary of Baldassarre Galuppi's birth, re-establishing the importance of his forgotten instrumental work.

Composer Biography

Baldassarre Galuppi, known as 'Il Buranello' due to his birth on the Venetian island of Burano in 1706, served Empress Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg until 1768.