The last recording harpsichordist
Trevor Pinnock made before he left the independent, English-based CRD label for Deutsche Grammophon-owned Archiv was a disc of keyboard sonatas by
Domenico Scarlatti in 1981. A mere five years later,
Pinnock recorded a second disc of
Scarlatti for Archiv. Naturally, there were no repeats; the repertoire is too rich and deep for that, and besides,
Pinnock has too much artistic integrity. One suspects
Pinnock was drawn to record a second
Scarlatti disc so soon after the first because of his affinity for the spirit of the music. There's a brightness to
Scarlatti's keyboard writing that suits
Pinnock's sparkling technique, a warmth to
Scarlatti's melodies that matches
Pinnock's deft use of rubato, and especially a driven quality to
Scarlatti's Allegros, Allegro assais, Allegrissimos, and Pretissimos that fits
Pinnock's inclination to keep the pedal firmly pressed to the metal. This 2007 re-release is a straight repackaging of the 20-year-old original from the early days of digital. But though the hard-cornered, sharp-edged recording philosophy of the time was not always kind to the harpsichord's timbre, this particular recording is not only clear and clean, but vibrant and vivid, too.