It is no mean feat for the harpsichordist to bring the singing element ('cantabile') convincingly to the foreground on his instrument. On the one hand, this is related to the mechanical properties of the harpsichord and on the other hand to its rather quickly fading sound. But a solid means can be called upon: ornamentation, and that is precisely what the Italian harpsichordist Francesco Corti demonstrates on this recording. And because he does this so tastefully, I have no problem with it whatsoever.
Where Scarlatti's sonatas lack expressive depth, they certainly testify to an almost unbridled imagination alongside considerable compositional ingenuity. Small wonder, then, that his sonatas make extremely high demands on the keyboard player's technical skill alone, who literally does not shy away from crossing hands in passages, incredibly fast to execute tone repetitions or almost leaping off the page octave playing. Scarlatti has truly explored the technical and tonal possibilities of the harpsichord in all its corners. To such an extent that new techniques were born. The keyboard player must therefore account for both sonority and clarity.
These pieces are admittedly called sonatas, but they have nothing to do with the classical sonata form. 'Sonata' here merely means that they are purely instrumental pieces (actually miniatures). There is no question of organic thematic development, which does not, however, make these sonatas any less fascinating.
The keyboard player (in Scarlatti's time of course only the harpsichordist) is expected to play these pieces alertly and succinctly, with much affect (striving for effect does not belong in it anyway). The expression fed by contrasting motifs moreover demands an approach that focuses both on fine-meshed poetic quality and on assertive 'sturm und drang'. Francesco Corti belongs to that limited group of harpsichordists who knows the (incidentally not only) right way in this.
The instrument he plays is a replica by the renowned builder Philippe Humeau (2002) based on Italian models from the Baroque period. The tuning is a' = 415 Hz.