Antonio Soler: Harpsichord Sonatas Volume 1
Pieter-Jan Belder (harpsichord)
If these performances are less thoughtful in approach than Bob van Asperen's in the early '90s… they benefit from a greater sense of spontaneity and more characterful instrumental sound. At...
Antonio Soler: Harpsichord Sonatas Volume 1
Pieter-Jan Belder (harpsichord)
Purchase product
If these performances are less thoughtful in approach than Bob van Asperen's in the early '90s… they benefit from a greater sense of spontaneity and more characterful instrumental sound. At...
About
Having scaled (for Brilliant Classics) the musical Everest that is Domenico Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas, Pieter-Jan Belder now turns his attention to his Spanish contemporary, Antonio Soler. Solers productivity was hardly less astonishing, especially as a monk at the abbey of El Escorial required to spend much of his time either in contemplation or directing the abbeyÂ’s music. In this capacity he would most likely have met Scarlatti, as the latter accompanied his royal patrons to their summer retreat at El Escorial. SolerÂ’s keyboard sonatas are also bipartite constructions, with new twists of harmony and invention around each unexpected corner. This first volume is completed by one of the most curious of all harpsichord works, a Fandango with a slowly evolving, hypnotic effect that has more than once been compared to Ravel's Boléro.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
May 2009
If these performances are less thoughtful in approach than Bob van Asperen's in the early '90s… they benefit from a greater sense of spontaneity and more characterful instrumental sound. At super-budget price, it hardly needs adding that they are superb value.
