D. Scarlatti: Sonatas – Hewitt

   in Piano International (May, 2016)
When I interviewed Angela Hewitt in 2007, she was already planning to add some Scarlatti recordings to her discography of the major Baroque composers. ‘What’s fascinating,’ she told me, ‘is that all these guys are writing at the same time, yet so differently: Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Couperin, Rameau.’ Of course, the special attraction of Scarlatti’s music is, as she said, largely tied to ‘the Spanish influence, which was very strong. The stomping of the feet, the strumming of the guitar – it’s a whole different footwork!’

It’s no surprise that Hewitt, whose Bach recordings in particular are renowned for their infectious dance rhythms, should focus on Scarlatti’s ‘footwork’. In her notes …