Review: Javier Perianes Plays Scarlatti (2025)

Domenico Scarlatti’s vast output of more than 550 keyboard sonatas is one of the richest legacies of the Baroque. Around 60 percent of these are in major keys, yet Javier Perianes’ new program deliberately tilts the balance in the other direction: of the 15 sonatas presented here, 10 are in minor keys. The choice immediately signals an interest in exploring the darker and more introspective aspects of Scarlatti’s music, rather than presenting the composer solely as a purveyor of brilliance and charm.

Scarlatti – Javier Perianes

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The question of how to play Scarlatti on the modern piano is never far from the surface. Written for the harpsichord, these works exploit an instrument that could not produce crescendos, diminuendos, or dynamic accents in the way a piano can. On the harpsichord, expression depends on articulation, ornamentation, and clever use of registration. To play them on the piano is therefore an act of translation, with different pianists taking different stances.

Some, like Vladimir Horowitz, Mikhail Pletnev, and Yevgeny Sudbin, have embraced the full dynamic and coloristic range of the modern grand. Others, such as Angela Hewitt, Alexandre Tharaud, and Claire Huangci, adopt a more restrained manner that adapts to harpsichord aesthetics without surrendering the piano’s potential. A third group — including Ivo Pogorelich, András Schiff, and more recently Federico Colli and Julius Asal — preserves the Baroque character while injecting individuality and imagination. Many will have their own views on which pianist belongs in which group, but there is little doubt that Perianes belongs in the third.

Perianes respects the stylistic framework of Scarlatti’s writing, while shaping it with imagination and subtle personality. At first hearing, his Sonata in F minor, K.466 (track 8), which forms the emotional center of the program, seems to employ an unusually wide dynamic range. Closer listening shows something more refined: Perianes shapes climaxes through articulation and timing rather than through blunt volume contrasts. The result is a reading that feels both true to the harpsichord’s spirit and alive to the piano’s expressive possibilities.

Javier Perianes (image: ©️ Marco Borggreve)

In the slower sonatas, the legato he achieves is striking. The Sonata in G minor, K.450 (track 6) flows with an unforced lyricism, while the Sonata in D minor, K.213 (track 12) projects a calm intensity that draws the listener inward. At the other end of the spectrum, his dexterity in the virtuosic pieces impresses without ostentation. The Sonata in D minor, K.141 (track 2), famous as a favorite encore of Martha Argerich, can often be delivered as a dazzling showpiece. Perianes instead gives it a more intimate cast, the rapid repeated notes carrying an almost hypnotic quality. Similarly, the Sonata in F minor, K.386 (track 11) sparkles without losing clarity of line.

Tone painting emerges in other sonatas: the dance-like sway of the Sonata in E major, K.380 (track 13) has hints of a polonaise rhythm, while the Sonata in C minor, K.238 (track 5) conveys an isolated, inward character, more reflective than brilliant. Perianes’ ability to suggest such images without imposing them too heavily is part of the album’s appeal.

State-of-the-art engineering and an instrument of refined tonal quality flatter Perianes’ touch and phrasing. This is a thoughtful and rewarding recital. By favoring the minor-key sonatas and by resisting both extremes of flashy pianism and strict imitation of the harpsichord, Perianes offers a program that feels distinctive yet never self-conscious. It is a reminder that Scarlatti’s sonatas, for all their surface brilliance, contain a remarkable depth that continues to invite fresh interpretations.