 |
For the listener of classical music the works of Domenico Scarlatti must be an essential item. The problem was until the advent of the CD it was always going to be a daunting and expensive business. Domenico wrote 555 pieces of keyboard works and buying all that on vinyl, (of which I am a fan), was going to be prohibitively expensive. With the keyboard works of JS Bach there was Glenn Gould. Likewise with the works of the keyboard by Domenico Scarlatti, as opposed to his brother Alessandro who almost exclusively wrote sacred and choral music, America born Scott (Stonebreaker) Ross deservedly became the master of the works of this composer. Tragically living only 38 years he (he had Scoliosis at a young age) he packed those years with study at the Conservatoire de Nice, enrolling into the Conservatoire de Paris. He made recordings of the complete Pièces de Clavecin by Rameau and also recorded the complete keyboard works of François Couperin. Ross dressed in similar fashion to his students, even performing on stage, and his 'granny' spectacles were as recognisable as those of John Lennon. For one concert that was attended by the university chancellor and the French Consul General he wore jeans and a red lumberjack shirt. He often wore hunting attire and was known for performing with somewhat threadbare sweaters. The main fruit of his new contract was the daunting task of recording the complete keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, a project started by Radio France, which decided to broadcast the sonatas in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the composer's birth, in 1985. Scott Ross began recording the sonatas on June 16, 1984, and during the eighteen months of recording he knew he had a fatal illness. Ninety-eight sessions were required, and the last take was completed on September 10, 1985. In all, there had been eight thousand takes. Ross died of pneumonia related to AIDS on June 13, 1989 in his house in Assas, FranceRead full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
