Scarlatti & Cage Sonatas David Greilsammer

• Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
• 1Sonata in D Minor, K. 213: Andante07:18
• 2Sonata XVI & XV Gemini04:33
• 3Sonata in D Minor, K. 141: Allegro03:41
• 4Sonata XIII04:29
• 5Sonata in E Major, K. 531: Allegro03:35
• 6Sonata XI02:37
• 7Sonata in B Minor, K. 27: Allegro03:42
• 8Sonata I03:05
• 9Sonata in B Minor, K. 87: Andante Mosso04:54
• 10Sonata XII03:08
• 11Sonata in A Minor, K. 175: Allegro04:00
• 12Sonata XVI04:36
• 13Sonata in E Major, K. 381: Andante commodo06:21
• 14Sonata V01:35
• 15Sonata in D Major, K. 492: Presto03:22
• Total Runtime01:00:56

Info for Scarlatti & Cage Sonatas

„This terrific CD from David Greilsammer ingeniously interweaves sonatas from Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes with sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, written some 200 years earlier. He’s not the first – Melvyn Tan did the same at the Edinburgh Festival – but he does it with extraordinary musical sensitivity and dramatic flair. Greilsammer adds to the strangeness of experience by making each sonata follow hard on the heels of the previous one. We’re flung between the hard, sun-baked, guitar-soaked urgency of Scarlatti, and the floating, astral strangeness of Cage’s sonatas. These are played on a piano ‘prepared’ with all manner of objects placed between the strings. The soundworld takes on qualities of a toy-piano, or Buddhist temple bells, or a gamelan.

Greilsammer believes there’s a deep affinity between the composers, whom he calls ‘messengers from another world.’ It’s a quiet message; Greilsammer’s touch on the whole is delicate and restrained, even in the grander Cage sonatas. He’s more concerned to savour the tone-colours, pull the rhythms around, and subtly ornament Scarlatti lines. The recording catches every nuance. Not every interpretation is a triumph – Scarlatti’s E major sonata seems over-refined – but most are, as is the disc as a whole.“ (Ivan Hewett, classical-music.com)

“Greilsammer believes there's a deep affinity between the composers, whom he calls 'messengers from another world'. It's a quiet message; Greilsammer's touch on the whole is delicate and restrained, even in the grander Cage sonatas. Not every interpretation is a triumph...but most are, as is the disc as a whole.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“it’s a regular frisson to go from the classical strenuousness of the one to the Buddhist ear-tickling of the other. The disc has a definite spiritual ping.” (Sunday Times)

“Taken alone,Greilsammer's Scarlatti might appear too mannered, but here the contrasts create aural fireworks. Italian baroque and New York avant garde face up to one another like lion and tamer, with fascinating results.” (The Observer)

“Greilsammer’s playing certainly highlights and heightens the originality of the Scarlatti pieces...The exoticism of Cage’s prepared piano is an intoxicating complement to the Scarlatti...There are lots of surprises here, well worth looking into.” (The Telegraph)

David Greilsammer, piano

David Greilsammer
Known for his fascinating and eclectic programs, conductor and pianist David Greilsammer is recognised as one of today’s most imaginative and audacious artists. Last December, The New York Times selected his album “Mozart In-Between” (Sony Classical) as one of the best recordings of the year. The American newspaper had already awarded his previous album, “Baroque Conversations” among the best albums of 2012, and his New York recital was selected as one of the most interesting musical events of the year.

Born in Jerusalem, David Greilsammer studied at The Juilliard School with Yoheved Kaplinsky, in addition to working with pianist Richard Goode. After making his New York Lincoln Center debut, he went on to becoming “Young Musician of the Year” at the French Music Awards.

Known as a unique interpreter of both baroque and contemporary music, David Greilsammer is also celebrated for his Mozart performances. In 2008, he performed in Paris all of Mozart’s piano Sonatas in a one-day “marathon” and in recent years, he has recorded various albums devoted to the composer. Last season, he played and conducted the complete cycle of Mozart’s twenty-seven piano concertos in Geneva.

Since 2013, David Greilsammer is Music and Artistic Director of the Geneva Camerata (GECA). With this innovative orchestra, he gives more than thirty concerts this season, including performances in Berlin, Paris and London, and Gstaad. David Greilsammer also presents with GECA singular collaborations

with dancers, painters, video artists, actors, and jazz musicians. David Greilsammer has recently conducted the ensemble in programs featuring soloists such as Steven Isserlis, Emmanuel Pahud, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Andreas Scholl, and Daniel Hope.

David Greilsammer has released four critically acclaimed records on the Naïve label, and in 2011 he signed an exclusive contract with Sony Classical, resulting in two award-winning albums. His new recording, released in 2014, presents an unusual and intriguing encounter between the Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and John Cage.

David Greilsammer has recently appeared with prestigious orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Philharmonique de Radio-France, Taipei Philharmonic, Hamburger Symphoniker, Torino Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, and the Israel Symphony. As a pianist, Greilsammer has appeared at Ravinia, Mostly Mozart and Verbier festivals, as well as at the Zurich Tonhalle, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Beijing Forbidden City Theatre, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Salle Pleyel in Paris, and The Kennedy Center in Washington.

Since 2013, David Greilsammer is “Artist in Residence” both at the Saint-Etienne Opera in France and the Meitar Ensemble in Tel Aviv.

This album contains no booklet.