# Alessandro Scarlatti



## StlukesguildOhio

Alessandro, that is. Not his son, Domenico (whose sonatas I have long known and loved).

Starting around this time last year I began to make a concerted effort to explore the music of the Baroque far more deeply. After all, Bach has long been my absolute favorite composer and Handel surely ranks not far behind... and yet where my music collection of the Romantic era extends into hundreds of composers, my Baroque collection was long comprised of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Domenico Scarlatti... and a scant few others.

I began my greater exploration of the Baroque focused largely upon the Germans (Biber, Zelenka (Bohemian), Buxtehude (German-Danish), Heinrich Schütz, Michael Praetorius, Johann Adolf Hasse, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (OK Dutch...) etc... as well as the French, who I rapidly discovered, much to my pleasure, that I had greatly underestimated (Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, Michel Richard Delalande, etc...)

For whatever reason I delayed my foray into the Italian Baroque (with the exception of Monteverdi whose choral works and madrigals I began to explore in earnest last year). Recently I have picked up upon Giacomo Carissimi, Francesco Geminiani, Giuseppe Tartini, and a number of other Italian Baroque figures. One that has completely enthralled me (after Monteverdi) must be Alessandro Scarlatti. Scarlatti was one of the giants of his time, composing over 600 cantatas, operas, concerti grosso, oratorios, large choral works etc...

What I would like to gain from any Baroque aficionados are recommendations for outstanding recordings of Scarlatti's works. I currently have the following:'




























I have been so enamored of this last disc that I am currently playing it through a second time... immediately after the first hearing.

Anyway... any suggestions appreciated.

:tiphat:


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I have all three CDs you posted. Nice!

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660 - 1725) was a fine Italian composer. I have many CDs of his works. Rather than flood you with many, I shall recommend two that seem to have stayed in my mind. There is a subtle originality with his works; nothing flamboyant but succinct. He was essentially a composer for the human voice.

(P.S. I am currently away from my collection at the moment, but happy to answer your questions when I get a chance).

_Il primo omicidio overo Cain _, oratorio. Rene Jacobs directing etc. Superb.









_Griselda_ (1721), his last opera. Rene Jacobs directing etc. Superb.


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## StlukesguildOhio

It appears I'll need to wait for a reissue of the Griselda. It's currently available only for $179 US!!!

I do have the other disc marked on my wish list.

:tiphat:


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## hocket

Highly recommended. A match for the Modo Antiquo disc IMO.










I'm told that Gerard Lesne's recording of this is also excellent.

His instrumental music is also worth checking out; you should try these:


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## zoziejemaar

To which I would like to add:










Kiehr has a special soft and melancholic voice, and for me this is a perfect rendering of these subtle and intimate cantatas. Very fine music. I will have to compare it to your versions by McGegan though.

Jacobs' opera performances are indeed superb.

I will definitely try to get hold of the other proposed discs; seems very interesting.


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## toucan

These *Motets* of Scarlatti are out of this world - I mean this literally - and one couldn't do a better job than Michel Corboz and the Vocal Ensemble of Lausanne, performing them:


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## clavichorder

I have been seriously impressed with his 6 concerti grossi. I know he is known mostly as a vocal composer, but these are very fine works, almost -gasp- superior to Corelli's. They are uniquely intense and well formed, succinct.

His son had a tough act to follow, but he ultimately managed once he got in the groove with his sonatas.

Try this disc of his concerti grossi and cello sonatas:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/domenico-scarlatti-concerti-grossi-cello-sonatas-mw0001414758


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## brianvds

clavichorder said:


> I have been seriously impressed with his 6 concerti grossi. I know he is known mostly as a vocal composer, but these are very fine works, almost -gasp- superior to Corelli's. They are uniquely intense and well formed, succinct.


I second this. Those are actually the only of his works that I am familiar with, and they make me think I should explore the rest of his output.


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## Mandryka

The keyboard music is busy, stylus phantasticus style at least some of the time, I can only handle it in small doses, but that may be me, I don't really have much of a taste for Italian music. There's an outstanding recording by Rinaldo Alessandrini.


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## hpowders

Another composer I know nothing about. Fifty five years of listening and I still know relatively nothing!!!


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## brianvds

hpowders said:


> Another composer I know nothing about. Fifty five years of listening and I still know relatively nothing!!!


Never too late to catch up!


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## MagneticGhost

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> _Il primo omicidio overo Cain _, oratorio. Rene Jacobs directing etc. Superb.


Let me second this. It is indeed Superb.


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## MoonlightSonata

I haven't listened to any Alessandro Scarlatti, only Domenico.
I'll have a listen to some of your recommended pieces.


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## clavichorder

The concerti grossi, it turns out, are only attributed to Alessandro but their authorship remains uncertain. They are very fine works, whoever wrote them.

However, there are some very respectable instrumental works known to be written by Alessandro, the Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso, which he wrote towards the end of his life and sent to London. He was envisioning the London musical scene from afar in Italy, with knowledge of the tremendous success of Corelli's concerti grossi, and also may have had some monetary reasons for writing these works.

A new recording is already available for listening in the Naxos Music Library, and will be released soon:


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## fjf

His clavichord sonatas are something worth listening to. There are 555!.


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## clavichorder

fjf said:


> His clavichord sonatas are something worth listening to. There are 555!.


Wrong Scarlatti, that's Domenico, and they are typically played on the harpsichord or the modern piano, clavichord would be unusual.


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## fjf

Dang!. I stand double-corrected!.


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## clavichorder

There needs to be a better recording of the Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso, which are certainly good works. I'm not a huge fan of the recording I posted before. These works are not to be confused with those 6 concerti grossi attributed to A. Scarlatti, that are utter masterpieces. These are the 12 Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso, lighter works with briefer movements and with recorders in them.


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