De Maria - Clementi: Piano Sonatas, Op. 40 [CD]

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Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)Piano Sonatas, Op. 40 Nos. 1-3 Muzio Clementi was born in Rome in 1752, the son of asilversmith. By the age of thirteen he had become proficient enough as a musiciaoto be employed as an organist at the Church of S. Lorenzo in Damaso and to attractthe attention of an English visitor, Peter Beckford, cousin of WilliamBeckford, author of Vathek aod builder of the remarkable Gothic folly of Fonthill.Peter Beckford, as he himself claimed, bought Clementi from his father for aperiod of seven years, during which the boy lived at Beckford's estate in Dorset,perfecting his ability as a keyboard player and, presumably, his general education.In 1774 Clementi moved to London, where he began to take part in professionalconcert life as a composer and performer, playing his own sonatas, some ofwhich were published at this time, and directing performances at the Italianopera. Clementi's success as a performer persuaded him to travel.In 1780 he played for Queen Marie Antoinette in France and early in 1782 heperformed for her brother, the Emperor Joseph II, in Vienna. Mozart metClementi in January, when they were both summoned to play for the Emperor.Clementi improvised and then played a sonata, according to his later account,the Sonata in B flat major, Op. 24 No.2, and the Toccata, Op. 11.Mozart then played and both of them shared the performance of sonatas by Paisielloand improvised on a theme from one of the sonatas on two pianos. Mozart had apoor opinion of Clementi's musical taste and feeling, but grudgingly admittedhis technical ability in right-hand playing of passages in thirds. in other respectshe was a mere mechanicus. A year later he wrote again about his rival,describing him as ciarlatano, a charlatan, like all Italians, writingthe direction Presto on his music but playing merely Allegro, andadding that his sonatas were worthless: the passages in sixths and octaves heconsidered striking, but dangerous for his sister to practise and potentially damagingto her lightness of touch, Mozart's opinion of Clementi has proved damaging to thelatter's reputation but it is possible that Mozart and Vienna suggested newstyles of playing to Clementi, who returned to England in 1785, winning a distinguishedplace for himself through the brilliance of his playing and for his pianoteaching, He wrote symphonies and concertos, but found his position threatenedduring Haydn's two visits to London in the 1790s. In the same decade heinvolved himself in piano manufacture and music publishing with Longman and Broderipand from 1798, after the firm's bankruptcy, in partnership with Longman, Hyde,Banger and Collard. He travelled abroad extensively in the earlier years of thenineteenth century in the interests of the company. John Field, his pupil, wasemployed to demonstrate the new keyboard instruments and accompanied him to Russia,while in Vienna he secured the English publication rights for compositions byBeethoven, who held him in esteem

Son in G, Op.40, No.1: Allegro Molto Vivace

Son in G, Op.40, No.1: Adagio: Sostenuto E Cantabile

Son in G, Op.40, No.1: Allegro: Canone Primo Perpetuo, Per Moto Retto - Canone Secondo Perpetuo...

Son in G, Op.40, No.1: Finale: Presto

Son in b, Op.40, No.2: Molto Adagio E Sostenuto - Allegro Con Fuoco, E Con Espressione

Son in b, Op.40, No.2: Largo, Mesto E Patetico - Allegro - Tempo Primo - Presto

Son in D, Op.40, No.3: Adagio Molto - Allegro

Son in D, Op.40, No.3: Adagio Con Molta Espressione

Son in D, Op.40, No.3: Allegro