A very special "sound" for very special music. On an 1870 Pleyel, played by Gioachino Rossini, Michele Campanella recreates 12 sonatas from "Exercises for Harpsicord" by Domenico Scarlatti.
(First edition: London 1738)

Excerpts from the original CD booklet:
Scarlatti’s known work ammounts to 555 compositions of which most are in a single tempo. Only thirty were published directly by the author - the "Essercizi per Gravicembalo" which appeared in London in 1738. A few other were printed in Amsterdam, Paris and Nuremberg while he was still alive under the titles "Sonate", "Lezioni" and "Pièces pour le Clavecin". When published in London they were called "Voluntaires" and were probably intended as improvisations to be played during the intervals of church services. Scarlatti never threw light upon the origins of these varying and imprecise titles. He let things be. Silent, absent and unreachable in his own private world.
The sonatas are one of the highest and most original expressions of eighteenth century music. From their first moment of impact we are struck by their extraordinary variety of sound and by the great inventive capacity of the composer. They are short pieces which through a highly virtuous set of veritable musical fire-works bring to the fore a world of sensations, of realistic references and allusions which appear and reappear in kaleidoscopic fashion.
They probably began as exercices for the then Princess Maria Barbara di Braganza, the future Queen of Spain, to whom Scarlatti gave music lessons. They were certainly intended for a very narrow circle of listeners. Their performance on the pianoforte greatly enriches their expression because this instrument brings out all the original intentions of the author - aims and goals which are rather muted in the light and graceful sound of the harpsichord. The piano serves to bring out to the utmost their expressive character and their latent virtuosity.
We do not know the chronology of the compositions. In the unsigned manuscript copies which are kept in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice no dates are indicated.

Other excerpts from the original CD booklet:
"About a year ago I talked to Maestro Campanella about the idea of employng the pianoforte as a means by which to "revisit" some of the most important of Scarlatti’s Sonatas for the harpsichord. He seemed to me to be immediately interested in the idea and told me that he would think deeply about what was required to ensure that this important artistic project was brought to fruition. In presenting this compact disc to the public I think it would be of interest for the listener to know some of the - albeit brief - observations made by Michele Campanella after he had finished working on this most valuable recording."
(G. Acquisti)

"Five of the sonatas of the ten presented in this compactdisc have a slow andamento and three of these are presented here with brilliant sonatas. I have sought to draw attention to a less well-known but extemely important Scarlatti: the Scarlatti of melancholy and recollections-feelings which despite the obvious stereotypes are typically Mediterranean in character.
The Pleyel made in 1870 which I chose for this compact disc evidently, enough is not an attempt to imitate the harpsichord of Scarlatti’s original intention. As an instrument it is as distant from the harpsichord as is a Steinway of our times. But the austere tonal choice which the Pleyel imposes acts to shift the attention of the player and the listener onto other values-first and foremost the movement of dance which is implicit in every sonata, each andamento, and the unprecedented imagination of Scarlatti the harmoniser who is able in his moments of melodic suspension to achieve effects of authentic hypnosis".
(M. Campanella)