[PRE-ORDER] Christoph Ullrich - Domenico Scarlatti: Complete Pno Sons Vol. 13 [CD]

There's a rumour going round that, over the course of a concert evening, a pianist's fingers do as much physical work as if he were single-handedly hauling a large grand piano up to the fifth floor of a building. Could that be true? - Let's assume it is. Which floor would 'our' Steinway D have reached by now, over the course of the entire project covering all of Scarlatti's piano sonatas? - Each double CD takes about five days to record; one day is perhaps equivalent to three concert evenings; this is the 15th recorded volume; and how long has Christoph Ullrich been practising?... Let's say the 999th floor, by a conservative estimate. This Scarlatti project, spread over 17 years, is a pianist's Iron Man. Sorry, sportspeople, you'll have to be particularly strong now;-) - What does an Iron Man do all the time whilst he's running? Does he have creative ideas like our hero? Does he say to himself, for example, 'Watch out, I'll take the step after next 2 cm to the right', or 'I'll do a little jump'? A quick dribble. Three hops on one leg? Or shall I give myself a quick tap on the ear? - Nothing of the sort, but rather: persevere. Our man, on the other hand - Christoph Ullrich - is, like his master who sponsored the compositions, brimming with ideas; he trills and plays octaves all over the place, improvises within the repeats or doesn't, switches hands - I wonder what that would look like with the legs of an iron man - and, best of all, he never tires! Sonata 536 sounds as fresh as Sonata 1! Let's say a creative idea is equivalent to 100 metres - OK, OK, I'll stop Christoph Ullrich's - and indeed my own - enthusiasm for this almost immeasurable treasure from the pen of Domenico Scarlatti grows with every sonata. It inspires and brings joy.When the 555th Sonata has faded away, a second black wing will grow on our beloved grand piano, with it's many light, delicate hues, and it will float away into the heavens, where it will continue to trill, warble, mourn, rejoice and dance a waltz with Domenico Scarlatti and Christoph Ullrich