Suzanne Husson - Scarlatti, Ginastera, Debussy, Ravel (Remastered) (1987/2023) [Official Digital Download 24/48]

The richness and incredible flexibility of Domenico Scarlatt1's sonatas make classification impossible. All the formal elements, with their free articulation which often predict the works of classical composers are proof of the musician 's genius. The developmental are of the Scarlattian Sonata is projected with an astonishingly inventive variety. The changing modulations are audacious, and almost always, after the recapitulation, the composer offers us new material or a free improvisation on the original theme. Scarlatti's position is that of a composer who, in contrast to his predecessors who practised progression and sequence, not only reveals an elaborate thematic inlay, but also a profound and thought-out conception of the phenomenon of sound. Scarlatti's harmonies are innovative be it for the colouristic function of the modulations, or for the expressive intensity of the dramatic resolutions. Scarlatti's sonatas defy any rationalization and reflect the spirit of a musician who found, in the bizarre, in the p1cturesque, and in virtuosic finger-work, those elements which are fundamental to his works. Dance movements are also suggested in the sonatas, not as objective models, but as echoes and reminiscences of Spanish folklore which seer from the stitches and inter-weaving of the sonoric texture. Polyrhythm and abrupt rhythmic interruptions are other characteristics of Scarlatti's musical language, and they not only indicate the modernity and open-mindedness of the composer, but also his vivid imagination. Even though he lived in an era of crisis Scarlatti remained immune to it. Rather than his isolation resulting in a sense of inferiority or inadequacy, he drew from it a strength and spiritual energy that set him far above most of his contemporaries. In short, he lived through and overcame his crisis by way of the fantastic game of creation and his artistic intuition and foresight. His work ss exempt from any heavy debris and fatuousness; it does not reflect the limits dictated by the age, but rather stretches out, with prestigious security, along the road open to future generations.

Tracklist
01. Scarlatti: Sonata in mi maggiore K. 20
02. Scarlatti: Sonata (Toccata) in re minore K. 141
03. Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas, op. 2, I. Danze del viejo boyero
04. Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas, op. 2, II. Danza de la monza donosa
05. Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas, op. 2, III. Danza del gaucho matrero
06. Debussy: Estampes, 1. Pagodes
07. Debussy. Estampes, 2. Soirées dans Grenade
08. Debussy: Estampes, 3. Jardins sous la pluie
09. Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (Trois poèmes pour piano d’après Aloysius Bertrand), 1. Ondine (lent)
10. Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (Trois poèmes pour piano d’après Aloysius Bertrand), 2. Le Gibet (très lent)
11. Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (Trois poèmes pour piano d’après Aloysius Bertrand), 3. Scarbo (modéré)
12. Ravel: Jeux d’eaux