D. Scarlatti - Sonata in A major, K.113 (Nikolai Demidenko)

Piano: Nikolai Demidenko (2005)

This sonata by Scarlatti requires some explanation. Many people are now familiar with Scarlatti’s manuscripts and the editorial approaches applied to them. Like many others, I also find the Gilbert edition to be much more consistent among the available publications. However, I do not take sides here. The inconsistencies and differences between editions, as well as the variations among manuscripts and performers’ preferences, are topics that deeply interest me, and I continue to explore and learn about them. It’s a fascinating process.

The more I learn, the better I understand why Scarlatti is so important. Beyond his individual brilliance as a composer, Scarlatti holds significance as a figure who has contributed to a collective musical heritage. Based on the available data, we have a perspective on Scarlatti, but in certain passages or specific sonatas, uncertainties can arise when trying to determine the most accurate interpretation. These areas of ambiguity encourage deeper thought and effort to understand Scarlatti’s musical style and ideas. In the end, tiny notes or passages that he may never have written or preferred could still be attributed to him. Thus, Scarlatti transcends the role of a composer and emerges as a “musical idea” shaped by what is attributed to him.

Today, how many quatrains can we confidently say were written by Khayyam himself? Yet, we can still talk about Khayyam’s worldview. Can anyone definitively resolve the debates about whether Shakespeare wrote certain passages or whether they were altered? Yet, Shakespeare, as an idea, will always retain his power. Can anyone pinpoint whether a specific brushstroke in one of Michelangelo’s paintings was done by him or an assistant? But do we have any doubts about Michelangelo’s genius?

Nikolai Demidenko is an extraordinary pianist. In his interpretation of this sonata, he boldly makes choices among different editions and adds his own contributions. I am not here to judge what is right or wrong. With the perspective I described above, I enjoy Demidenko’s remarkable performance while thinking about and learning from Scarlatti. This is a space where many different ideas can be proposed and debated, each presenting its own strong arguments. I respect them all.

In the end, every interpretation adds to the ongoing dialogue about Scarlatti's music, and this journey of learning and discovery is what makes his work timeless.