Alberti: Complete Keyboard Music

The prolific Domenico Alberti squeezed a surprising number of works out of a short and eventful life, achieving fame across Western Europe, particularly for the socalled ‘Alberti bass’, an arpeggiated style of left‐hand keyboard playing. Yet his presentday reputation does not equal these heights, his fame largely limited today to his Eight Sonatas. This recording puts this to rights, showcasing Alberti as a composer who deserves to be remembered for centuries to come, as a musical poet possessed of remarkable invention and imagination. Alberti’s compositions display the simplicity and sensitivity of Clementi, the vigour of Mozart and, in the briefest of moments, an almost Schubertian or Chopinesque pre‐Romanticism. His keyboard compositions are generally individual movements or twopart toccatas or sonatas, the whole full of melodic echoes and intentional reworkings, which form intriguing bridges between the pieces. The three distinct periods in the composer’s output of keyboard music are mirrored here by the use of organ, fortepiano and harpsichord (all of which Alberti would have had to hand in his day) – corresponding also to the period practice of ‘playing on all manner of instruments’, with individual pieces often not tied down to a specific instrument. This combination adds a Talented keyboardist and international award‐winner Manuel Tomadin has a particular interest in Renaissance and Baroque music and historical organs. He brings all of his expertise to bear on this superb album. This 4CD set contains the complete keyboard music by Domenico Alberti, a First Recording! Domenico Alberti lived a short but very productive life, from 1710‐1740. He was famous as a composer, cembalo player and singer (the world famous castrato Farinelli heard him sing, and recognised in him a fearful rival). Alberti claim to fame is his “discovery” of the so-called Alberti-bass: the accompanying left hand chord broken in a certain way (like c-g-e-g etc). This figure forms the basis of the Viennese classical style, and was used by all composers of keyboard sonatas and sonatinas. Alberti’s Sonatas and Toccatas are in two movements, the first an allegro in free form, followed by a mellow andante in arioso style. In order to achieve maximum variety Manuel Tomadin performs these works on three instruments: an historic organ (1773 Francesco Dacci organ), a harpsichord and a fortepiano. Manuel Tomadin already recorded successfully for Brilliant Classics, notably the Leipziger Chorale by Bach (BC94456). Recorded in Italy in 2013 and 2014. Contains liner notes written by the artist in Italian and English. Contains a biography of the artist. Contains a full organ specification.