Got this in a sale lately. Technically refined as well as vibrant and lively. I like the harpsichord's sound and it is recorded very well. Absolutely first class! Any fan of harpsichord music should grab a copy!
I came across his Scarlatti only recently on RUclips, after I had stumbled across a very beautiful piano rendition of a d minor one (K.213, I think - I take your point about K numbers). It made me wonder what it sounded like on the harpsichord and I found Mr Hantai. Completely different piece, much knottier and scrunched up than on a Steinway, which is the musical equivalent of a Bentley. Magnificently engineered to smooth out any pesky cornering or road noise issues. The effect is to make you arrive at your destination completely uninvolved by the experience of, you know, how you got there.
I have only a couple of these discs so far. They are truly excellent. For Hantaï on a harpsichord with a heavier, darker, deeper tone, try his Well-Tempered Clavier, book 1, also on the Mirare label. He uses a modern harpsichord based on a Thuringian model.
The beard and white hair on the box cover really rattle me. When I first encountered him we were both, relatively speaking, kids. But ditto on his elegant style, which I found so satisfying on his Goldberg Variations disc. I look forward to digging through these performances over the weekend.
I've listened to the first volume of these so far today and they are really outstanding and original. I love Scarlatti and I've been listening to all kinds of versions for decades. This is a great one. I'll keep listening for sure. Since you brought up the idea of Scarlatti being a "chord" guy I'd like to recommend that you give a listen to K130. There is a modulation in the second part, at around measure 85 to 95, that is quite colorful indeed for Baroque. I'm sure an educated composer or pianist could understand what is going on there as far as chord progression, but to me it seems pretty unusual
they already released the first 50 sonatas as a box and download - which I have. So if I want the remaining 50 I either have to buy the cds/downloads individually to avoid duplication - which saves no money over buying the new box.. Or buy this new box even though i have half of it already. Its a real pity they could not release the new 50 sonatas as a virtual box download - it would cost them almost nothing to do so. Yes you can buy the individual sonatas as downloads but because they are prices per minute AND have a cost added per track its totally uneconomical to buy the 50 you need from the 100 sonata set.
Should we consider Scarlatti's music Italian or Spanish? The issue of nationality may not be that important when speaking about the baroque period but since the Spanish elements are so fundamental to his style it could be an interesting point to consider. It's really fascinating that him got the Spanish music so deep into his bones being an outsider, just the opposite from the Chopin mazurkas wich were written by a Polish composer living in france, Scarlatti wasn't born into the Spanish folklore and yet most of the later Spanish composers, from Soler to Albeniz, followed him one way or another.
serious question: does anyone truly prefer the sound of the harpsichord over the piano when listening to these sonatas? It sounds so hideous to me in comparison, what am I missing?
@@August-f3p Clarity and clean rhythms to begin with. In comparison, many piano performances sound a bit thick. Of course a true musician who knows and understands the music will get to the heart of the music no matter which medium is chosen.
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Got this in a sale lately. Technically refined as well as vibrant and lively. I like the harpsichord's sound and it is recorded very well. Absolutely first class! Any fan of harpsichord music should grab a copy!
I came across his Scarlatti only recently on RUclips, after I had stumbled across a very beautiful piano rendition of a d minor one (K.213, I think - I take your point about K numbers). It made me wonder what it sounded like on the harpsichord and I found Mr Hantai. Completely different piece, much knottier and scrunched up than on a Steinway, which is the musical equivalent of a Bentley. Magnificently engineered to smooth out any pesky cornering or road noise issues. The effect is to make you arrive at your destination completely uninvolved by the experience of, you know, how you got there.
I don’t think that analogy is at all applicable.
I have all 6 of these and some of his other recordings. Good to know I already have something that Dave approves!
I have only a couple of these discs so far. They are truly excellent.
For Hantaï on a harpsichord with a heavier, darker, deeper tone, try his Well-Tempered Clavier, book 1, also on the Mirare label. He uses a modern harpsichord based on a Thuringian model.
The beard and white hair on the box cover really rattle me. When I first encountered him we were both, relatively speaking, kids. But ditto on his elegant style, which I found so satisfying on his Goldberg Variations disc. I look forward to digging through these performances over the weekend.
I've listened to the first volume of these so far today and they are really outstanding and original. I love Scarlatti and I've been listening to all kinds of versions for decades. This is a great one. I'll keep listening for sure.
Since you brought up the idea of Scarlatti being a "chord" guy I'd like to recommend that you give a listen to K130. There is a modulation in the second part, at around measure 85 to 95, that is quite colorful indeed for Baroque. I'm sure an educated composer or pianist could understand what is going on there as far as chord progression, but to me it seems pretty unusual
they already released the first 50 sonatas as a box and download - which I have. So if I want the remaining 50 I either have to buy the cds/downloads individually to avoid duplication - which saves no money over buying the new box.. Or buy this new box even though i have half of it already. Its a real pity they could not release the new 50 sonatas as a virtual box download - it would cost them almost nothing to do so. Yes you can buy the individual sonatas as downloads but because they are prices per minute AND have a cost added per track its totally uneconomical to buy the 50 you need from the 100 sonata set.
I have the complete Scott Ross which is wonderful
Should we consider Scarlatti's music Italian or Spanish? The issue of nationality may not be that important when speaking about the baroque period but since the Spanish elements are so fundamental to his style it could be an interesting point to consider. It's really fascinating that him got the Spanish music so deep into his bones being an outsider, just the opposite from the Chopin mazurkas wich were written by a Polish composer living in france, Scarlatti wasn't born into the Spanish folklore and yet most of the later Spanish composers, from Soler to Albeniz, followed him one way or another.
Is there a good set played on the piano? Or is Scarlatti best played on a harpsichord?
Vladimir Horowitz or Mikhail Pletnev, but harpsichord really is best.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Thank you!
serious question: does anyone truly prefer the sound of the harpsichord over the piano when listening to these sonatas? It sounds so hideous to me in comparison, what am I missing?
Yes.
@@michaelcarroll7621 care to explain? What do you get from it?
Definitely.
@@August-f3p Clarity and clean rhythms to begin with. In comparison, many piano performances sound a bit thick. Of course a true musician who knows and understands the music will get to the heart of the music no matter which medium is chosen.
@@DavesClassicalGuide why do you prefer it?