Scarlatti: Fortepiano Sonatas

When we think of the keyboard works of the great baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti, we think most often of the harpsichord — but he also wrote for the fortepiano, a transitional instrument between the harpsichord and the modern pianoforte. Its sound is a bit more muted than that of a modern piano and it doesn’t have the same dynamic range — but it is mellower (and more dynamic) than the harpsichord. On this recording David Schrader plays a generous program of Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas on a modern replica of a 1726 fortepiano, and it makes for a unique and lovely listening experience.