Album of the Week

“…this is going to be an exhilarating journey in Colli’s crisp, articulate and expressive hands.”

“…Cleverly structured according to mood, the present selection first impresses with the clarity of Colli’s touch as he speeds through Scarlatti’s hurtling rhythms, startling modulations and dissonant crunches — the more brazen aspects of the composer’s art. However, the best playing comes in the final group, which are slow in tempo and fragile in texture, especially in K.208, an A major adagio in which we seem to be listening to music unravelling. Colli’s delicacy at such points is miraculous. Roll on the next 16 sonatas, or the full remaining 539.”  *****

“… Colli’s virtuosity copes easily with the sonatas’ fiendish runs, snaps and awkward trills, capturing the Spanish (as in KK 492 in D), Italian, folk and dances influences tht give these short, often curious pieces such flavour, wit and vitality…”

“… you can’t but marvel at the sheer quality of his [Colli] playing – his trills the epitome of crispness, his repeated notes sounding absurdly easy, while his command of dynamic extremes is second to none. It’s impossible not to be impressed by his flair … Colli is formidable, with the most delectable quiet playing in Kk450 and a truly vivacious Kk396.”

Performance ***       Recording ****

“… Colli’s colouring of the music is imaginative, and he is often persuasive in his cantabile playing …”

"... This is amazing music, so imaginative, so emotionally varied, and Colli does his chosen sixteen examples proud ... First class sound and annotation ..." *****

“… Federico Colli is clearly a highly innovative player. This is very much in evidence from this recording, which gives us an opportunity to view this repertoire from a fresh perspective… Overall, this is a superb recording. I confess to being bowled over by the second set of sonatas in particular.”

 

“…Colli's sequence works beautifully as a 67-minute recital. The colours he extracts from the Potton Hall Steinway are ravishing; he can be thunderous and delicate by turns… A gorgeous collection.”

“… on the evidence of this recording he [Colli] is imaginative and enterprising. He uses the full colourful resources of his modern piano. He lets the characters change in each piece in ways that sound intuitive and natural. He has great control and takes interpretative risks… I eagerly anticipate any future volumes in this series – as far as he wants to take it. There are more than 550 Scarlatti sonatas. Colli brings out the joy of the pieces, taking the listener through adventures… Acquire this and prepare to buy more of it.”

Music: *****     Sound: ****½

Interpretation ******         Sound *****      Repertoire *****

“… 16 sonatas are grouped into four chapters: The Power of Illusion, Live Happily!, The Return to Order and Enchantment and Prayer. It’s a brilliant idea, as intellectually satisfying as it is musically – especially given Colli’s ability to validate his musical argument with such persuasive, tasteful use of tempi, dynamics, articulation and phrasing.” ****

**** (Excellent Album)

Disc of the Month

Artistic Judgement: Exceptional       Sound/Technical Judgement: Exceptional 5/5

**** (Good Disc)

**** (Good Album)

*****