Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy, the pianist on this recording, has won top prizes in international piano competitions and is a sought-after pedagogue.
Compositional Technique
The sonatas are all single movements in binary form, consisting of two repeated sections, which invites further embellishment by the performer.
Composer Biography
Domenico Scarlatti, the composer, spent much of his career in service to the Portuguese and Spanish courts, including time in Lisbon, Seville, and Madrid.
Composer's Artistic Vision
In the preface to his first published collection of sonatas, Scarlatti stated his intention was not profound learning, but "an ingenious jesting with Art" to help listeners master the harpsichord.
Composition History
Scarlatti's reputation is largely based on 555 harpsichord sonatas, most of which appear to have been composed in the last 20 years of his life.
Compositional Technique
Scarlatti's sonatas often feature the rhythms and harmonies of Spanish folk music, with the sound of the guitar suggested by strumming chords.
Performer Biography
Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy's musical education connects him to important traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries through his teachers, who studied with figures like Walter Gieseking, Edwin Fischer, and Arthur Schnabel.
