Masterpieces of Baroque keyboard literature in critically acclaimed recordings by pianists with a fine feel for the 18th century. Recordings made between 2005 and 2023; new booklet essay; an ideal, affordable introduction to the world of baroque keyboard music, full of elegant dances and virtuoso playing.

This survey of Baroque composers ranges from the pinnacle of 18th-century keyboard music, Bach's Goldberg Variations, to little-known gems such as the sonatas of Espona, Galuppi and Giustini. He places the three great Baroque masters - Bach, Handel and Rameau - in the context of their influential predecessor Sweelinck and then those composers such as Galuppi and Espona, who wrote in a new, gallant style that overlapped with Mozart's classicism.

Some of the artists on these recordings are still in their twenties and have grown up in a culture of historically informed performance practice, which they then bring to their handling of a modern piano. Others, such as Yuan Sheng and Wolfram-Schmitt Leonardy, have been playing these pieces for many decades and bring the experience of an entire career to the task of working out the meaning and rhetoric of 18th-century phrasing and harmony on an instrument with which none of the composers had ever come into contact.

Handel is not represented by the well-known Eight "Great" Suites, but by an imaginative collection of earlier suites. Scarlatti's prolific inventiveness is generously honored with 35 of his sonatas. Bach naturally dominates with the Six Partitas and the Italian Concerto as well as the Goldbergs, representing the stylistic breadth of his output. There are keyboard styles from all over continental Europe, such as Sweelinck's Dutch-Italian noblesse, Scarlatti's Hispanic-Italian touch, Bach's and Handel's French accents, Rameau's native French and Galuppi and Giustini's exuberant Italian flourishes and proto-operatic gestures. There is something for everyone here.

"Damiano, a supremely talented twenty-something ... has a romantic approach to the music ... a first-rate CD."

"The deep resonance of Mestre's bass lends a unique impact to the ostinato richness of the texture."

"Sensitive and often lively performances [by] Zentilin, whose interpretations possess both solemnity and considerable fire ... Highly recommended."

"Scipione Sangiovanni ... often plays this music as I imagine a composer like Handel would have done in his time."

"Klára Würtz's interpretative attitude is full of spirit and vivacity, but also full of confidence and security ... There are of course many good recordings of this masterpiece, but among them this new recording deserves a very high rank."

An extremely attractive collection of baroque keyboard works from Sweelinck to Scarlatti, played on the modern piano!

The eternal question of which instrument should be used to play Baroque keyboard music will never be settled; historical evidence and personal taste will never be fully reconciled in this hotly debated controversy.

While Brilliant Classics does not provide a definitive answer to this question, it proudly presents a wide selection of Baroque keyboard music played on the modern piano. Starting with the early baroque of J. P. Sweelinck, the selection includes works by J. S. Bach (Goldberg Variations, Italian Concert Suites), Handel (Suites), Rameau, Espona, Giustini, Galuppi and Scarlatti.

Played by outstanding pianists: Klára Würtz (Gramophone Editor's Choice, 10 / 10 Classicstoday), Yuan Sheng, Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (Gramophone Editor's Choice), Andrea Molteni and others.

Reviews

"Molteni, a young Italian pianist, plays Scarlatti with resonant tone and virtuoso agility." Fanfare