For the project regarding Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonatas, which we have been organising since 2011 in the Italian Culture Institute in Madrid, Juan Manuel Cañizares is another exceptional artist who agreed to become involved in the initiative. I am increasingly sure that the future of what we know as “classical” music will involve the mixing of different styles that, although apparently opposite, are mutually enriching; Cañizares is one of the best examples of this, as he is not “only” a magnificent guitarist, but a complete musician, just as capable of playing Concierto de Aranjuez with the Berlin Philharmonic as of improvising a bulería.

This album dedicated to Scarlatti adds another piece to the puzzle of his tireless investigation of music of the past that, in his hand, becomes living art in the present; after his marvellous albums dedicated to Falla, Juan Manuel studies the music of a composer who, like him, was unclassifiable in the true sense of the word. Scarlatti “played” with popular Spanish music of the time, which he harmonised without losing his Italian and Neapolitan roots, creating a legacy that is now a milestone in western culture. Cañizares has embraced the challenge and, through his magical guitar, transcribes a selection of Sonatas, from the pathos of Sonata K.32 in D minor to the uncontrolled joy of Sonata K.111 in G minor, including the splendid Sonatas K.208 (one of the greatest) and K.384, without forgetting the polyphonic style of Sonata K.274.

Scarlatti, played by Cañizares, loses none of his grandeur; on the contrary, he gains in variety, in colour and in sound. That of the country that he so loved.

June 2014

Carmelo Di Gennaro

Director

Italian Cultural Institute in Madrid