Sunday 15 May 2016

Scarlatti - Piano Sonatas - Huangci


Rating: 5/5

Review:
Very enjoyable



There have been some very fine recordings of Scarlatti on the piano in recent years - Tharaud, Sudbin and Hewitt spring to mind and there are others, too.  This may not have quite the depth of some of those great recordings, but Claire Huangci plays with such fire and youthful zest that this is in many ways just as enjoyable.

There are two discs here which form a good, varied selection from the 555 sonatas.  Huangci plays a little fast and loose with Scarlatti's repeats and can be pretty free with her ornamentation occasionally, but this really sparkles throughout and seems a perfectly legitimate interpretation to me.  She doesn't go in for inappropriate Romantic gestures but often brings out the phrasing to make good sense of the structure of the music, so the whole thing makes good sense to me.

Huangci has a brisk, staccato approach much of the time, lending this the air of a harpsichord recital, which I like very much.  I do think she gets carried away with tempi sometimes, so that some sonatas are played so fast that they rush by with some of their meaning lost, but there is so much sheer joy and delight here that I find that forgivable.

If really pushed for a single Scarlatti recital on piano I think I would go for Angela Hewitt's somewhat deeper, more thoughtful approach but that's purely a matter of personal taste.  There is a huge amount to enjoy here and even if you already have some favourite Scarlatti on the piano, I would urge you to try this.  Warmly recommended.

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