The Press About Godelieve Schrama

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PADRE ANTONI O SOLER: Sel ect ed Sonat as f or Har p -
Godel i eve Schr ama, har p -
MDG Scene 903 1627- 6
Soler harpsichord sonat as in t he st yle of Scarlat t i t ransferred t o concert harp.
Published on March 17, 2011

PADRE ANTONI O SOLER: Sel ect ed Sonat as f or Har p - Godel i ev e
Schr ama, har p - MDG Scene mul t i channel ( 2+ 2+ 2) SACD
MDG 903 1627- 6, 66: 50 [ Di st r . by E1] * * * * :

Alt hough Soler st udied wit h Domenico Scarlat t i and oft en cont inued t he
general st yle of t hat composers 550- odd keyboard sonat as, and alt hough
bot h of t hem spent much of t heir careers as music inst ruct ors t o royal figures,
t hey are really quit e different . Unlike t he I t alian Scarlat t i, Soler was born in
Cat alonia and spent his lat er life isolat ed in t he dour Escorial monast ery near
Madrid. His musical cont act s were few - only Scarlat t i and Boccherini and
t hru t he lat t er, Haydn. He was a humble monk who spent more t ime in t he solit ude of his cell t han
t he ot her monks. He was also an organist and chapel mast er. Yet he t urned out some 471 works in
30 years.

Harpist Schrama writ es in t he not e booklet about how t he music of t he baroque and classical period
doesnt fit t he modern concert harp very well. Alt hough t he keyboard works of Scarlat t i have been
adapt ed for t he harp, guit ar, accordion and ot her inst rument s, she says t hat Solers keyboard
sonat as - which of course all t hese harp select ions are - t ransfer more successfully t o her inst rument
t han do Scarlat t is. She credit s t heir great er t ransparency, giving t he modern harpist more
possibilit ies t o work wit h t he nat ural resonance of t he harp. She also says t hat Bach is even less
successful on t he concert harp. She hears a st rong influence of t he Moorish cult ure in Solers sonat as,
more so t han t he flamenco influence in Scarlat t is - alt ho t hat is occasionally also heard in Soler.

The dozen sonat as heard here cont rast more wit h one anot her t han t he t ypical Scarlat t i sonat as.
Some are quiet and st raight forward, while ot hers - such as No. 15 - require even great er effort s at
crossed hands t han found on Scarlat t i sonat as. No. 117 is full of st range not es and bizarre
harmonies. Schrama also ment ions t he difficult ies of achieving t he oft en- required st accat o qualit y on
t he concert harp. This SACD demonst rat es t o my ears more t han t he usual all- Soler harpsichord
album t he amazingly varied cornucopia of musical colors and t ast es found in Solers music. Soler is
an early represent at ive of t he unique musical facilit y which composers of Cat alonian descent have
exhibit ed.

- - John Sunier

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TEL.: ++49-(0)5231-93890 FAX.: ++49-(0)5231-26186 www.mdg.de info@mdg.de

Luister

Mrz/April 2011

MDG 903 1627-6

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Klassieke Zaken

Februar 2011

MDG 903 1627-6

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www.classical.net

April 2011

Antonio Soler
Sonatas Arranged for Harp
Sonata #1 in A Major
Sonata #6 in F Major
Sonata #15 in D minor
Sonata #18 in C minor
Sonata #73 in D Major
Godelieve Schrama, harp
Dabringhaus & Grimm MDG9031627-6, 67min, Multichannel Hybrid SACD
Antonio Soler (1729 1783) has only come to the fore in the last two decades or so. This is most
unfortunate for a composer who managed to write some 470 works in the space of almost 30 years.
The reasons are several, but his humble birth, his upbringing and musical education, and his
eventual isolation in the Escurial soon after taking his priestly vows in 1753, have effectively drawn
a veil over the more intimate details of his life. What we do know is that he was a humble monk
with a punishing working schedule which allowed him only four hours sleep at night, and that he
was wholly devoted to his post as the organist and "Magisterio de Capilla" at the same Escurial.
This highly enjoyable CD encompasses 12 of Soler's Sonatas that were originally written for
harpsichord, and as the soloist earmarks in her essay, Soler's sonatas can be played more easily on
the harp than, say, those by Domenico Scarlatti. The composer's transparent music gives the harp
player a range of possibilities to work with the natural resonance of the instrument. But these pieces
also offer great challenges, as the soloist has to work with intelligibility, articulation and very often
with the serpentine figures in the music.
Although these pieces were written by an overworked and austere monk, there is nothing holy about
them. Indeed, these sonatas are brimming with joy and life and a strong dance element so
reminiscent of Iberian folklore. Naturally, moments of melancholy and sadness do appear at times,
but these are at a premium, and generally the music is full of inventiveness and surprising turns.
The Dutch harpist Godelieve Schrama gives breezy yet fascinating performances, and her supreme
mastery of the instrument makes the music sing with unbounded bliss. A real peach of a disc in the
best MD&G traditions we have come to expect.
Copyright 2011, Gerald Fenech.

The Press About Godelieve Schrama

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DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM AUDIOVISION GMBH BACHSTRASSE 35 D-32756 DETMOLD

TEL.: ++49-(0)5231-93890 FAX.: ++49-(0)5231-26186

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