D. Scarlatti: Mandolin Sonatas

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Artist: Artemandoline, Mari Fé Pavón (baroque mandolin), Manuel Muñoz (baroque guitar), Jean-Daniel Haro (viola da gamba), Jean-Christophe Leclère (harpsichord)

In Domenico Scarlatti’s vast output of 555 keyboard sonatas, there are a small number of works that are especially interesting to musicologists because of characteristics such as figured bass, three- or four-movement structure, and distinctive melodic lines that are particularly appropriate for a high-pitched solo instrument. Some experts believe that these works were written for the violin; on this recording, after meticulous research and the discovery of an important new manuscript at the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris, the members of Artemandoline propose the fascinating theory that the sonatas may have been composed for the mandolin. Featuring works ranging from the smaller-scale K77 to the ambitious and technically demanding K88 – which is extremely well suited to the mandolin thanks to its four-part chords and dynamic nuances – this disc offers a radical reinterpretation of this captivating music.


Formed in 2001, the ensemble Artemandoline has worked tirelessly over the years towards the revival of the mandolin, giving new prominence to and widening the repertoire of this beautiful and unfairly neglected instrument. Artemandoline is acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for its rigorous and scrupulously researched, yet fresh, spontaneous and exciting performances. This is the ensemble’s first recording for Brilliant Classics; a second disc of mandolin music from 18th-century Paris will follow later in 2013.

00:00:00 Sonata in G Major, Kk. 91: I. Grave
00:01:24 Sonata in G Major, Kk. 91: II. Allegro
00:05:01 Sonata in G Major, Kk. 91: III. Grave
00:06:16 Sonata in G Major, Kk. 91: IV. Allegro
00:07:38 Sonata in E Minor, Kk. 81: I. Grave
00:09:19 Sonata in E Minor, Kk. 81: II. Allegro
00:12:24 Sonata in E Minor, Kk. 81: III. Grave
00:13:44 Sonata in E Minor, Kk. 81: IV. Allegro
00:15:15 Sonata in G Minor, Kk. 88: I. Grave
00:17:23 Sonata in G Minor, Kk. 88: II. Allegro moderato
00:19:55 Sonata in G Minor, Kk. 88: III. Allegro
00:21:24 Sonata in G Minor, Kk. 88: IV. Minuetto
00:23:18 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 90: I. Grave
00:26:50 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 90: II. Allegro
00:31:18 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 90: III. Siciliana
00:32:12 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 90: IV. Allegro
00:34:14 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 77: I. Moderato cantabile
00:37:25 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 77: II. Minuetto
00:39:43 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 89: I. Allegro
00:43:12 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 89: II. Grave
00:45:20 Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 89: III. Allegro