Serendipia Ensemble, Rita Rógar, and Moisés Maroto, together with their ensemble of musicians—Darío Tamayo on the harpsichord, Calia Álvarez on the viola da gamba, José Arsenio Rueda on the baroque bassoon, and Jon Wasserman exchanging his plucked string instruments (theorbo and baroque guitar)—have recorded the complete sonatas. Premiering worldwide with the record label IBS Classical.
With this large continuo group, Serendipia Ensemble seeks a unique musical approach to the concept of the triosonata, finding the common ground between the concerto form conceived by Corelli and the sonata form arranged by Schickhardt. We are now able to hear, with layering of different instruments, the triosonatas approach the concerti in sections such as the tutti-soli that we appreciate in the Corellian originals.
So far and yet so near. The harmonies and the virtuosity: that is what the two composers Sergei Rachmaninoff and Carlos Guastavino have in common. "Even though at first glance the geographical distance between them was immense, their approach to the piano was strikingly similar," remarks Martin Klett. In both composers he loves the Romantic element- paired with attractive simplicity in one case, with ambitious piano artistry in the other. "I don't think one could even say if this music is by Guastavino or Rachmaninoff! It's somewhere in between, and thus provides a smooth, perfect transition- the ideal piece to play before the Rachmaninoff sonata." (Klett) Martin Klett has made a name for himself as a solo pianist and chamber musician. Ever since winning the International Johannes Brahms Competition and the German National Music Competition, he has become a welcome guest at prestigious music festivals.
Schubert: Piano Sonatas No 2, 3, 6 / Gottlieb Wallisch
Naxos
CD
$19.99Mar 21, 2006
The second volume in Naxos' survey of Schubert's 12 piano sonatas surviving in fragmentary form offers three works whose harmonic adventurousness and memorable melodic content will appeal to anyone who loves this composer. More often than not, the music provides interesting contexts in relation to more familiar works. For example, I can't help but notice how the C major D. 279 sonata's bold first-movement opening theme and declamatory trills foreshadow the Wanderer Fantasy's finale. And listening to the E minor D. 566/506's Allegretto, with its songful lyricism and rolling left-hand accompaniment, I wonder if Schubert knew the finale of Beethoven's Op. 90 sonata, one of the latter composer's most "Schubertian" utterances! As before, pianist Gottlieb Wallisch turns in affectionate, idiomatic, and warmly phrased performances that are hard to beat. His energy often surpasses Wilhelm Kempff's heavier gait while steering clear of András Schiff's occasional mannerisms (such as breaking the hands in the E major D. 459's first Scherzo). Also as before, Wallisch provides informative, well-written booklet notes. A lovely disc.--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
SOMM Recordings is pleased to announce the fourth volume in Leon McCawley’s much praised series of Franz Joseph Haydn’s Piano Sonatas. Six Sonatas spanning the years 1766-80 are featured: the earliest the miniature First Sonata in G major, the latest the E flat major Sonata No.51, while Robert Matthew-Walker’s fascinating booklet note charts how deftly Haydn balanced the expectations of others and his own creative ambition. “Intended more to entertain than engage the intellect”, the fleet, divertimento-like First Sonata seems to anticipate the pedagogical leanings of Bartók’s Mikrokosmos more than a century and half later.With its unabashed galant style, the D major-led Sonata No.30 is ‘Papa’ Haydn at his most quicksilver brilliant and delightful, while Sonata No.35, in A flat major – “a masterpiece of piano writing” – displays striking characteristics of early Romanticism. Composed with the enhanced voice of the then newly available fortepiano in mind, sibling Sonatas Nos.48 (C major) and 49 (C sharp minor) maintain a winning Classical poise even as one surprise after another see Haydn pushing the sonata form in new and unexpected directions. Volume I (SOMMCD 0162) received a coveted Diapason d’Or from Diapason magazine, which enthused: “What a range in his interpretation and how many layers of gradation! McCawley ties these together in a special quality of inflexions which make their point with great intelligibility and sensitivity”. BBC Music Magazine declared Volume II (SOMMCD 0602) “should stand high on any list” of quality recordings of Haydn, adding “the sparkle of McCawley’s touch is instantly apparent”. Of Volume III (SOMMCD 0624) Gramophone hailed McCawley as “a thoughtful, keenly intelligent artist in peak form… [Haydn’s] piano works an inexhaustible source of artistic riches.”
The sonatas for guitar by the Mexican composer Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948) demonstrate his remarkable ability to compose music inspired by a wide variety of styles. From early romantic works like Estrellita (1912) to the more complex harmonic language of his Concierto for violin (1943), Ponce displayed extraordinary versatility. Initially influenced by French modern music and late romantic works, he developed a distinctive musical language that combined romanticism, modernism, and nationalism. His collaboration with guitarist Andres Segovia resulted in his first composition for guitar, the Sonata Mexicana (1923), blending French Impressionism with Mexican folk music. During his stay in Paris from 1925 to 1932, Ponce developed an interest in Neoclassicism and Bitonality, as evidenced in his Suite bitonal for piano. Among his most significant works for guitar is Sonata III (1927), which incorporates romantic, neoclassical, and Mexican and Spanish folk elements. His guitar music was always inspired by Segovia, who suggested numerous works, including the Sonatina Meridional (1930), a tribute to Spanish musical tradition. Ponce's other notable works for guitar include the Sonata Clasica (1927), a tribute to Fernando Sor, and the Sonata Romantica (1928), inspired by Franz Schubert. These compositions further demonstrate his unique ability to blend traditional influences with his own distinctive voice. The Mexican composer wrote eight sonatas (six sonatas and two sonatinas) for guitar, two of which were lost during the looting of Segovia's apartment in Barcelona in 1936. Manuel Maria Ponce - Complete Guitar Sonatas presents for the first time the guitar sonatas in their entirety, including the surviving movements of these lost compositions and Sonata VI, a pastiche of Paganini's famous Grande Sonata for guitar. The works are performed by a group of artists under the guidance of M° Stefano Grondona, the renowned Italian guitarist.
Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No 2, Etc / Konstantin Scherbakov
Naxos
CD
$19.99Sep 01, 2003
Rachmaninov’s Chopin Variations is a relative rarity on disc and a work that has never caught on in the concert hall. Here is a performance that makes you wonder why. More clearly than in Berezovsky’s (incomplete) recording (Teldec), more compellingly than even Howard Shelley (Hyperion), Scherbakov illustrates how the Variations, touchingly dedicated to Leschetizky, come from the same golden vein of inspiration that followed the Second Piano Concerto, even reusing some of its figurations and modulations (listen to Vars 3 and 8). Contrast the limpid lyricism of the brief Var. 17, one of the composer’s greatest melodies, with the bravura finale (Scherbakov chooses the alternative presto coda to end the cycle): this is great Rachmaninov playing with an eye for detail and lucid phrasing as much as for atmosphere and colour.
The five Op. 3 pieces are notable for the beautiful tonal quality of the playing (this and the recording throughout are first class). I’ve heard more cohesive takes on the Prelude, the second of the set (Hofmann, for example, and the composer himself), and the opening ‘Élégie’ has a slightly indulgent tempo, but Scherbakov’s individuality and character carry the day.
In the Sonata he manages to combine drama, breathtaking articulation and clarity of texture (usually one disappears at the expense of the other in this work). While it does not claim the pent-up, nerve-jangling thrill of Horowitz’s famous account, and despite a slight loss of tension in the final pages, Scherbakov’s must rank as a front runner among modern recordings.
The esteemed American pianist Anne-Marie McDermott has played concertos, recitals and chamber music in hundreds of cities in the United States, Europe and Asia. Recent collaborations include recitals with her violin partner, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg, chamber music with the piano quartet, Opus One, and concertos with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Vail, Colorado. Ms. McDermott's upcoming recordings for Bridge include a series of Mozart concertos, and the new Poul Ruders Piano Concerto No. 3, "Paganini Variations", recorded with the Odense Symphony Orchestra. On the present release, McDermott has once again chosen the sonatas of Haydn, making this her second volume of the composer’s work for Bridge Records. “We have waited a long time for an American pianist of this stature.” (Gramophone) “She’s one of the great American pianists of her generation.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
We do not know precisely the date of birth and death of Gaetano Sborgi, a composer who lived between the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth. We can say with reasonable certainty that Sborgi was born in Florence, as in the frontispiece of his sonatas he states that he is Florentine. Sborgi was chapel master and piano-forte teacher at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. He studied with his brother (or father according to Picchianti) Gasparo and then moved to Naples in the Conservatory of S. Onofrio, where he had Marco Santucci as a companion and where he stayed for seventeen years. Back in Florence "he made himself known... with several of his theatrical pieces of real good taste, and in others of different kinds. He had three works of piano sonatas printed, which show his genius and talent". Six harpsichord sonatas dedicated to Lorenzo Niccolini, ciamberlano of Peter Leopold I and Ferdinand III, can be included in the context of those compositions that show the gradual transition from the traditional harpsichord with plucked strings to the new conception, piano et forte, with struck strings. Jacopo Sibilia uses a copy of a 1783 Stein fortepiano, which can be played with two different types of action, in order to make the performance more expressive and harmonious.
This album is a story of family and friendship. Positioned between homage to a father figure and modernity, the viola da gamba sonatas of Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian Bach are a revealing element in the history of the Bach family and its ties of friendship with two families of virtuoso instrumentalists, the Abels and the Hesses, who had already inspired the work of Johann Sebastian. Carl Philipp Emanuel was active in Berlin, encouraged by the presence of the violist Ludwig Christian Hesse and the enthusiasm of his patron Frederick the Great ("When I am not reading, I am writing, and when I am not writing, I am playing the viol" wrote his nephew, the future Friedrich Wilhelm II). The friendship between Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian gave rise to the latter's sonatas in London. This Arcana release is not only a continuation of Guido Balestracci's recording of J.S. Bach’s viola da gamba sonatas that was awarded a CHOC by Le Monde de la Musique, but is also a celebration of one of the greatest families in the history of music. Guido Balestracci, together here with keyboard player Paolo Corsi, presents another instalment of his long-term project with the l'Amoroso ensemble: the re-evaluation of the viola da gamba and the other members of its family, with a special focus on the lesser-known post-baroque repertoire. His programmes of music for viol by Schaffrath, Haydn's Divertimenti for baryton, and a Schubertiade based on the arpeggione all bear witness to this.
Franco Margola (1908-1992) occupies a distinctive place in twentieth-century Italian music as a composer who combined modern clarity with a deep respect for classical balance and lyric expression. Born in Brescia, Margola was trained within the Italian conservatory tradition and soon developed a style often associated with neoclassicism: transparent textures, well-defined forms, and an elegant restraint that avoided both romantic excess and radical avant-garde experimentation. Throughout his career he wrote extensively for chamber ensembles, voice, and solo instruments, consistently favoring intimate musical dialogue and refined craftsmanship. Among his most important contributions to the guitar repertoire are the five Sonatas for guitar, composed over several decades. These works reflect Margola's close engagement with the instrument's idiomatic possibilities while maintaining a strong structural rigor. Rather than treating the guitar merely as a vehicle for virtuosic display, Margola emphasizes musical architecture, motivic development, and subtle harmonic color. Each sonata presents a different perspective on form and expression, yet all share a characteristic clarity of line and balance between melody and accompaniment. Stylistically, the guitar sonatas draw on classical models-especially the sonata principle and dance-like movements-while incorporating twentieth-century harmonic language, including modal inflections and gently dissonant sonorities. Rhythmic vitality and contrapuntal writing are frequent features, demanding both technical control and musical sensitivity from the performer. At the same time, Margola's lyrical impulse remains central: slow movements often unfold in long, singing phrases that highlight the guitar's natural warmth and expressive resonance. Played by Valerio Celentano, who graduated in classical guitar with honors from the Conservatory of Music "Giuseppe Martucci" in Salerno under the guidance of Antonio Grande. He has participated in several masterclasses with famous guitarists such as Alirio Díaz, Pavel Steidl, David Russell, Jyrki Myllärinen, Mario Gangi, and Carlo Marchione. He studied for several years with Oscar Ghiglia and Frédéric Zigante. He won prizes in many international music competitions. For Brilliant Classics, he recorded guitar works by Georges Migot.
For the first volume of this series of seven albums, Gergely Ittzes has selected seven sonatas representative of the flute music of the 18th century. The works are played on modern flute but informed by authentic performance practice. Original obligato keyboard parts are played on piano while continuo realizations are performed on harpsichord. The players have aimed at an analytic, though spontaneous, rendition. Gergely Ittzes won several prizes and awards including the Aleksander Tansman International Competition of Musical Personalities. Alex Szilasi and Anthony Newman join Ittzes on the keyboards.
'Although the three selected piano sonatas were all composed in the first half of the 20th century, they convey very different musical impressions. Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Kabalevsky - these are three composers, each with their own personalities and distinctive compositional styles. This diversity opens up three unique musical worlds for us. But through the common genre of the piano sonata, we also gain an insight into the musical and cultural development of Russia and the Soviet Union between 1908 and 1946. Dramaturgically, these works take us through the uncertain and turbulent period between revolutions and the First World War, through the tragedies of the Second World War to a hopeful outlook on a 'bright future' in more peaceful times. For me, all three works are among the hidden treasures of the pianistic repertoire.' Anastasia Yasko
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 3, 32 & 23 "appassionata"
ICA Classics
CD
$14.99Apr 29, 2014
"Some consider Arrau’s live Beethoven sonata performances superior to the studio versions. In the later sonatas, Arrau himself alluded to the fact that an improvisatory approach was required which was difficult to achieve within a recording studio.
Of op. 111, Jonathan Summers says in his booklet
note that ‘as we near the close...we realise we've been transported to another world by Arrau’.
This 1960 Stockholm recording, with Arrau at his career peak, is extremely rare and has never been issued."
Ryelandt: Piano Sonatas II; Six Preludes, Op. 62 - Flemish M
Antarctica
CD
$16.99Nov 21, 2025
The Flemish Music Heritage series is a journey of discovery, reviving remarkable pieces of musical heritage. Forgotten scores are brought to light, and familiar compositions are given a fresh perspective. In close collaboration with the Study Centre for Flemish Music, the recordings are founded on intensive research in libraries and archives and meticulously prepared score editions.? The works, expertly selected by connoisseurs, are performed by valued musicians and ensembles who passionately restore neglected and forgotten composers to the recognition they deserve. With these vibrant composer monographs, Antarctica Records aims to broaden horizons and enrich the repertoire with rediscovered treasures from the past. This third volume of the Flemish Music Heritage series focuses on piano works by Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1965). Spanning nearly five decades of his creative output, the recording features five piano works-including two early sonatas, the expressive Six Preludes, and two later works that highlight Ryelandt's evolution toward a more transparent, neoclassical style. Performed by Jozef de Beenhouwer, who has championed Ryelandt's music for decades, the album sheds light on a versatile and refined voice in Belgian musical history.
Margola: Chamber Sonatas with Guitar / Ensemble Counterpoint
Brilliant Classics
CD
$11.99$14.99Save 20%Aug 09, 2024
Franco Margola (1908-1992) was an Italian composer who was active throughout the 20th century. During his lifetime, he dedicated himself to composing pieces for musicians in the academic sector, where he found fertile ground and was widely commissioned for both pedagogical and non-educational purposes. His career included various teaching and leadership posts at several Italian conservatoires, not least the Conservatorio di Musica 'Arrigo Boito' in Parma, where he taught composition from 1963 to 1975. Here, thanks to a collaboration with the guitar teacher Renzo Cabassi, he began to compose numerous works for guitar (approximately 250 opus numbers). Margola maintained a close relationship with the historic roots of his art form, and although he experimented with the avant-garde in his youth, he abandoned such tendencies in his more mature compositions. His works are characterised by a 'rhythmic vitality, a "classical" phrase structure, clear diatonicism, and a frequent use of fourths and fifths that recall the elements of his early compositions. ' The aim of this recording is to offer listeners a selection of colourful soundscapes that vary according to the different ensembles. The guitar is the star of this album and takes on new colours in combination with the flute and violin, as well as in guitar duos and trios. Margola's sonatas often provide opening movements that are diatonic and atonal, followed by lyrical cantabile second movements that culminate in sparkling third movements evoking a medieval or baroque feel. The guitar trio configuration features some of the composer's lesser-known works: Sonata (dC 281), the Sonata (dC 228) and Sonata II for three guitars (dC 234). The violin and guitar duo performs the Sonatina (dC 259) and Sonata (dC 754) (first recording). The one-movement Sonata's affinities with the Sonatina indicate that it was probably a preliminary sketch for the latter piece, with which it shares tonalities and several melodic ideas. To the flute and guitar duo are devoted Sonata IV (dC 191) and Sonata II (dC 197). Finally, the last two sonatas on this disc (dC 661 and dC 662) are for guitar duo. The unpublished Sonata (dC 661) was transcribed from an old copy of a manuscript with several parts that were almost illegible, making the transcribers' work a musical challenge that involved balancing notational accuracy with interpretive freedom, guided by a profound understanding of the composer's musical language. Other information: - Recorded September, October, November 2023, Saluzzo, Italy - Booklet in English contains liner notes by the musicians and a profile of the ensemble - The Italian liner notes are available for download at www. Brilliantclassics. com - Franco Margola was a prominent Italian composer who has his musical roots in the 19th century, in particular in the cultural movement which was predominantly interested in instrumental music, as opposed to the opera. Franco's musical language is classicist, with clear formal structures and a leading role for the melody. While his oeuvre encompasses various genres, his works for guitar hold a distinct place in the repertoire, showcasing his innovative approach and mastery of composition. - Margola's compositions for guitar reflect a fusion of traditional Italian musical elements with modernist techniques, using a wide range of expressive possibilities, from lyrical melodies to intricate polyphony, all while maintaining a clear and idiomatic guitar writing style. His use of harmonies, rhythms, and textures adds depth and complexity to the guitar repertoire, earning him recognition among guitarists and composers alike. - This new recording presents chamber music in which the guitar plays a predominant role: from sonatas for three guitars to works for flute/guitar and violin/guitar: wonderfully attractive and expressive music! - Ensemble Counterpoint is a collective of young classical musicians committed to the research on the XX century repertoire, with the aim of rediscovering and revaluing precious gems of Italian music of the 20th century.
Over thirty years ago, Fretwork made it's first recording - well, technically speaking it was the second album to be recorded, but the first to be released - and it was called 'In nomine', which consisted mainly of 16th-century examples of this remarkable instrumental form. While this isn't an anniversary of that release, we want to look both back to that first release and forward, to bring the genre up to date. There were several examples of the In nomine and related forms that we didn't or couldn't record in 1987, and this album seeks to complete the project. The form was created unwittingly by John Taverner (1490-1545). His 6-part mass, Gloria tibi Trinitas, is based on the plainchant of that name. In the Sanctus, at the words Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini (Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord), the six-part texture is pared down to two and three parts; and then, with the words in nomine Domini, Taverner makes, for the only time in the mass, a complete statement of the cantus firmus, accompanied by three voices. This four-parts section - very beautiful as it is - must have struck contemporaries as some kind of perfection, to be used as a template, to be emulated and copied. And then those copies were copied and changed again.
Following CD releases for Sony Korea and ARS Productions, the first of pianist William Youn’s CD series of Mozart’s piano works was released by Oehms Classics in 2013, and honored with the Pizzicato Supersonic Award (Luxembourg). Now, Oehms Classics and William Youn proudly present the second album in their Mozart series. The press has praised the Korean pianist William Youn (b. 1982) as a “genuine poet” with a “bravura technique of touch”. In 2011 he was honored with the Bavarian Art Promotion Prize in his chosen home city of Munich.
• These sonatas of Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770), form the most important composition for solo violin after Bach.
• At six hours in duration, it is the largest integrated work for the instrument.
• Peter Sheppard Skærved's discography stretches from Telemann to many of the works written for him. He is the leader of the Kreutzer Quartet and Viotti Lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
• ‘(an) opportunity to hear all of the sonatas. Recommended.’ Robert Maxham, Fanfare
Domenico Scarlatti: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 12
TACET Musikproduktion
CD
$21.99Mar 20, 2026
Who would have thought at the beginning of the great Scarlatti adventure 15 years ago that there would be no CD at the end? The four of us, who sail the two-voiced oceans of the world in the Scarlatti boat, certainly not: Captain Christoph Ullrich at the steering wheel (keyboard), Gerd Finkenstein in the engine room (grand piano), me as radio operator (recording), and Thomas Seedorf (scientific support and texts) in the crow's nest. All old white men with weathered faces. Well, the CD is still alive. But the project needs another two years... We're going to see it through! Who knows, maybe it will be the last serious big complete edition ever produced for this medium? Then, among many other things, it will also be a tribute to the days when you could still hold what you loved in your hands. Our current position: Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 piano sonatas. This is volume 12 of 17. Volumes 14 and 15 are already available, a total of 12 double and 2 triple CDs so far. Volumes 13 (already recorded, not yet released), 16 (30 sonatas), and 17 (12 sonatas) are still missing. This means that 513 of the 555 sonatas have been recorded and 477 released. There are still 42 left to go to the home port. We are getting closer to our goal! There are so many interesting, admirable, and thought-provoking aspects to this opus! It would fill books. But we'll save that for the end. Turn these 30 new sonatas into an Advent calendar! Or a January calendar. Every day is unique; every day deserves a different sonata by Domenico Scarlatti!
This release is the third and final installment in the critically-acclaimed recording of the complete Piano Sonatas of Sergei Prokofiev by pianist Peter Donohoe. This album is dedicated entirely to the ‘War Trilogy,’ which are three piano sonatas that Prokofiev composed consecutively during World War II. The pieces show the horrors and reflections of what Soviet Russia referred to as the “Great Patriotic War.” The central sonata in the trilogy, No. 7, is regarded by many as his most famous and brilliant piano work. The finale of the piece depicts the grit and ferocity of the Russian attacks on the Nazi army. Peter Donohoe has long been a masterful interpreter of Russian music. He first recorded the Seventh Sonata in 1982, then again in 1991. “Prokofiev was creating these major works throughout his career- all of them are major and some are still underrated and I am delighted to have had the chance of recording the complete cycle at last.” (Peter Donohoe)
Born in Vienna in 1765, Anton Eberl lived a quieter life than Mozart, and his music does not court the scandal or venture to the expressive extremes of his contemporary, friend and mentor. After Mozart’s death in 1756, Eberl toured with his widow Constanze Mozart and her equally accomplished sister, Aloysia Lange, before Eberl married a third talented soprano, Maria Anna Scheffler, and the pair moved to Saint Petersburg, which at the time was establishing an artistic court to rival any of the capitals of Europe. Eberl worked there as Kapellmeister to the Russian royal family for a decade (1796-1805) before moving back to Vienna. Only two years later, at the height of his reputation, Eberl caught scarlet fever and died at the age of 41. By then Eberl had also become well acquainted with Beethoven. Sayuri Nagoya’s personal selection from Eberl’s keyboard output encompasses the earlier and later stages of his career, beginning with a set of variations on ‘Bei Männern’ from Die Zauberflöte which was composed within months of the Singspiel’s premiere at the Theater an der Wien. Dating from a year or two after Mozart’s death, the Sonata Op.1 was originally published under his name, and Eberl’s Sonatina Op.5 (1796) likewise inhabits a Mozartian grammar. By the time of the G minor Sonata Op.27, however, Eberl had developed a bolder and more dramatic idiom of keyboard writing, doubtless also under the influence of the intervening decade of technological innovation which brought about instruments with a wider compass and broader dynamic range. The C major Sonata Op.43 opens with a grand introduction before launching into an Allegro of high contrasts. The album leaves the listener with a full appreciation of Eberl’s gifts as well as a tantalizing sense of where his talents might have taken him next.
