Like many other composer/pianists rooted in the 19th century, Enrique Granados dabbled in the transcription trade. Recorded complete for the first time here, Granados’ 26 Scarlatti sonata transcriptions amplify the original texts by fleshing out textures with filled-in chords, added bass octaves, and meticulous indications over dynamics, tempos, and phrasing. Listeners familiar with Scarlatti’s original texts might raise an eyebrow over harmonic emendations in the D major K. 534 and C minor K. 48, or Granados’ even more freewheeling treatment of two F major sonatas (K. 518 and 554).
Douglas Riva’s performances range from serviceable to good, but they’re not great. The main problem concerns the pianist’s habit of slightly slowing down or rushing ahead in thicker passages, as well as his uneven execution of ornaments that cause the music’s rhythmic center to momentarily derail. You’ll hear examples of what I mean at more-or-less one minute into the aforementioned K. 554, or in the unstable articulation of K. 537’s sparse main theme. I also miss the variety of touch, color, and character that pianists like Sudbin, Schiff, Meyer, Scherbakov, and, of course, Horowitz bring to unhyphenated Scarlatti. Perhaps I expected more from Riva, given the fluidity and grace he’s frequently displayed over the course of Naxos’ Granados cycle.
