One of the joys of "classical" music is that
one can explore for a lifetime and still make discoveries. Whilst I
had heard of Soler I cannot recollect hearing any of his music
in recent years, if ever. What a pleasure, then, to report a discovery
of such quality. Soler was supposedly a pupil of Domenico Scarlatti,
whose sonatas are clearly the model for his own. But for me these are
very much more "modern" in style. If I can single out a handful
of pieces for particular mention: No.40 in G major is startlingly Beethovenian
in its power and indeed the soloist’s own notes mention its orchestral
quality; No.59 in F major is a wonderfully rousing rondo in the manner
of a country dance; No.20 in C sharp minor contains some decidedly unexpected
modulations; No.21 in C sharp minor is a mini drama. Soler’s Sonata
No.98 in B flat major is even more extraordinary. To begin with it has
four movements and lasts for 23 minutes, I am not aware of that being
the case with anything by his teacher. Mozart was of course writing
music of similar scale at a similar period but he was not an obscure
Spanish monk! The music is all very well presented by the remarkable
Gilbert Rowland. I say 'remarkable' because I cannot remember hearing
such rhythmical and expressive playing from a harpsichordist before.
Only in Dinu Lipatti’s historic recordings on the piano of Scarlatti’s
Sonata’s L23 and L413 have I previously heard such musical excitement
in pieces like these.
The programme on this disc has been arranged to give
variety for the listener playing several sonatas in succession. The
recording is close and there is little sense of the acoustic of Epsom
College Concert Hall where it was recorded. The harpsichord sound is
clean and very realistic as if one were an audience member sitting very
close to the instrument. The notes by the soloist are first class and
radiate the enthusiasm that Gilbert Rowland clearly must have for this
composer because the CD is labelled "Volume 8". It has been an
oversight on my part to miss the other seven volumes and I will hasten
to repair the gap in my collection where Padre Soler clearly belongs.
A final note on the cover picture. Sweet and delicate though Velasquez’s
daughter clearly was, I suspect that Padre Soler’s fiery inventions
would have left her gasping for air with the flowers in her hair awry.
Dave Billinge
Gilbert Rowland (harpsichord)