This release marks the first long-playing reissue of Marcelle Meyer’s 1947 Scarlatti recordings for Discophiles Français. Some collectors may be familiar with the pianist’s 1953-55 remakes of these 27 sonatas (plus five more) as reissued in EMI’s L’Introuvables de Marcelle Meyer Volume 2. The later versions have the advantage of superior sound (although the 1947 sonics are certainly listenable) and the inclusion of repeats that were omitted from the 78 rpm issues due to timing constraints. Although Meyer’s pianism is as fluent and ravishingly colored as ever, I still prefer the remakes for musical reasons. Notice, for example, the later G minor K. 450 sonata’s firmer rhythmic underpinning and clearer ornaments. In 1947 Meyer occasionally overpedals K. 478’s liquid lines, in contrast to her cleaner, more centered later version. The earlier K. 432 G major sonata is brisk and impulsive, but the slower remake benefits from clearer articulation and phrasing.
Likewise, the 1947 B minor Sonata K. 377 is rushed and blurry in contrast to Meyer’s crystalline fingerwork in the remake. The F major K. 17 Sonata’s repeated notes also are not so clear as they would become; Meyer’s slower basic tempo for the remake allows the triplet runs to cohere and take shape more convincingly. An excellent reading of Bach’s C minor Toccata BWV 911 fills out the disc. Seth Winner’s remastering corrects the slightly sharp and wavering pitch that marred EMI’s earlier, thinner-sounding transfer. Producer Donald Manildi’s notes draw attention to the long and distinguished tradition of Scarlatti pianism.
