Those that claim Muzio Clementi’s Gradus ad Parnassum to be little more than a collection of 100 boring, pedagogical exercises simply do not know the work. True, it contains technically-oriented pieces, but even these contain plenty of charm and musical interest. Take No. 16’s rapid five-finger exercise patterns, for example, and notice how they come alive surrounded by Clementi’s surprising and witty harmonic underpinnings. Or sample the graceful, lyrical No. 8’s left-hand countermelodies sneaking out of their accompanimental context. If you like fugues, try No. 13, with its unusual yet rather haunting high-register work and limpid lyricism.
Too bad about Naxos’ distant, murky sonics, for Alessandro Marangoni plays naturally and beautifully. Comparing Marangoni alongside the Arts label’s complete Gradus ad Parnassum cycle shared by 10 pianists, his brisk, virtuosic, and even aggressive treatments of bravura selections such as Nos. 1, 3, and 7 leave Andrea Bacchetti’s slower, fussier interpretations at the starting gate, while Nos. 11 through 20 more than hold their own alongside Bruno Canino’s clear if slightly dry performances. Let’s hope better engineering is in store for future volumes.
