Domenico Scarlatti:
Sonata in D Major, K. 96 (L. 465):
Allegrissimo
Sonata in F Major, K. 518 (L. 116):
Allegro
Sonata in F Minor, K. 519 (L. 475):
Allegro assai
Sonata in A Major, K. 208 (L. 238):
Adagio e cantabile
Sonata in A Major, K. 209 (L. 428):
Allegro
Sonata in A Minor, K. 175 (L. 429):
Allegro
Sonata in C Major, K. 513 (L. 3):
Pastorale. Moderato – Molto allegro – Presto
Sonata in E Minor, K. 394 (L. 275):
Allegro
Sonata in E Major, K. 395 (L. 65):
Allegro
Sonata in G Minor, K. 426 (L. 128):
Andante
Sonata in G Major, K. 427 (L. 286):
Presto quanto sia possibile
Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 544 (L. 497):
Cantabile
Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 545 (L. 500):
Prestissimo

György Kurtág:
Játékok (Games), Vol. 5:
Fanfárok (Fanfares)
A Voice in the Distance (for Alfred Schlee's 80th Birthday)
Preface to a Bálint Exhibition
Grassblades in Memory of Klára Martyn
Valcer (Waltz)
In Memoriam György Szoltsányi
Játékok (Games), Vol. 6:
Sirens of the Deluge (Waiting for Noah)
Humble Regard sur Olivier Messiaen
In Memoriam Tibor Szeszler
Doina
Päan
Marina Tsvetayeva:
It’s Time
Les adieux (in Janáčeks Manier)

These previously unreleased live recordings from Lucerne present Sir András Schiff with two composers rarely found in his discography or concert programmes: Domenico Scarlatti and György Kurtág. Though separated by centuries, both are masters of musical miniature. Although Schiff had already engaged with Scarlatti during his student years, the Baroque composer gradually disappeared from his repertoire. In Lucerne, he returned to Scarlatti with renewed insight, performing thirteen carefully selected sonatas in a dramaturgically shaped sequence. In response to the live setting, Schiff plays with bold risk-taking, vivid characterisation, and an acute sensitivity to sound. From György Kurtág's Játékok ("Games") - a diary-like collection of piano miniatures - Schiff presents an equally curated selection, incorporating suggestions made by Kurtág himself. Schiff studied with Kurtág for several years in Budapest and holds him in the highest esteem, praising him as a composer "who has an important opinion on every note and knows exactly how he hears it." Despite this admiration, Schiff had not recorded any of Kurtág's music until now. With this release, he pays tribute to Kurtág on the occasion of his 100th birthday on 19 February 2026.

---

Lucerne Festival rec. 1998/1999