Scarlatti: Sonatas for Harpsichord

Domenico Scarlatti was an incorrigible gambler, spared from debtor’s prison only through the charity of his patron (and longtime harpsichord student), Queen Maria Barbara of Spain. Although the 50 keyboard sonatas here comprise less than a tenth of Scarlatti’s total output in the genre, Hantaï approaches each with the high stakes mentality of an all-in poker hand or do-or-die craps roll: reckless, capricious, and indulgently picaresque, but with massive payouts that more than warrant the risk.