Francesco Nicolosi, the pianist on this album, won third prize at the 1980 International Santander Piano Competition and second prize (first not awarded) at the Concours International d'Exécution Musical in Geneva.
Performer Biography
Francesco Nicolosi is recognized as the world's only interpreter of the music of Sigismund Thalberg, an Austrian pianist whose work Nicolosi has dedicated years to researching and re-evaluating.
Composer Biography
Domenico Scarlatti, the composer, was the sixth of ten children of Alessandro Scarlatti, who was chiefly responsible for the early development of Neapolitan opera.
Composer Biography
Domenico Scarlatti once competed in a keyboard contest against Handel in Rome, where Handel was declared the better organist and Scarlatti the better harpsichordist.
Composition History
Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, his most considerable achievement, were largely designed for his pupil, the Infanta Maria Barbara, who became Queen of Spain in 1746.
Critical Reception
The 18th-century music historian Charles Burney remarked that few musicians of his time had the perseverance to master the peculiar difficulties of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffolk, UK, on February 2-3, 2007, with Michael Ponder as producer and engineer.
