Clementi 2010/11

Released in the fall of 2008, his first album for æon was greeted with universal praise by the press throughout Europe. Dedicated to Scarlatti, it paid homage to the country of his mother and his two professors, Maria Tipo and Aldo Ciccolini: Naples. “With my first recordings for æon I would like spotlight the importance of the Italian school in the development of the Romantic movement”, explained Olivier Cavé. “After Domenico Scarlatti, who in a sense was the father of modern piano technique, it is only natural to turn to Muzio Clementi. His piano music, above all his piano sonatas, represents an essential bridge between the Baroque and Romanticism. He studied music in Rome in the tradition of Italian opera (melodrama) and then headed off to France and Austria before settling down in London.”

The sonatas in minor keys that Olivier Cavé selected for his second recording may be regarded as the perfect synthesis between the various national cultures of Italy, France, England and Austria-Germany. At the same time they are true “dramma in musica”, as exemplified by the magnificent “Didone abbandonata”, which also served as the title for this album.

CD aeon AECD 1094 – Release date: 7 October 2010

Interview with Olivier Cavé about Clementi [pdf]

Introduction to the programme by Andrea Coen [pdf]

Press reviews [pdf]