Scarlatti: Sonatas

Domenico Scarlatti is one of the few composers from the time of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel – with whom he shares his birth year – whose fame remains undiminished and whose keyboard music has been a staple of the general repertoire since his lifetime. Although Scarlatti composed over 500 sonatas for keyboard instruments, these works display a great variety. Some are deeply serious, others light and almost humorous. Some sound like courtly dances, others like street songs. This ability to cover a wide spectrum of styles and moods is one of the hallmarks of Scarlatti's work. For this album, harpsichordist Asako Ogawa has made a varied and compelling selection, which is presented in superb sound quality. Ogawa also plays piano, fortepiano, and virginal. She performs throughout Europe and has won several awards, including the MBF Sir Henry Richardson Accompanists’ Award, and she is the founder of the Freude Piano Trio.