BLASCO DE NEBRA Piano Sonatas = Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 5 from Keyboard Sonatas Op. 1; Sonatas Nos. 3, 4, 6, and Pastorela Nos. 2 & 6 from Manuscript 2998 – Javier Perianes, piano – Harmonia mundi 902046, 1.1 hours *****:
De Nebra was a composer from Seville whose dates were only from 1750-1784. Born the same year Bach died, he only made it to 34 years old, yet produced 172 compositions, of which most were forward-looking keyboard works which very creatively carried on the style of Domenico Scarlatti and Antonio Soler, which moved closer toward the Classic period, highlighting the juxtaposition of tonic and dominant keys and emphasizing the contrasts of thematic recapitulations.
Only 30 extant works of De Nebra have survived, and this CD presents eight of them. He tends to favor Scarlatti’s binary form of two movements, one slow and one fast, but he uses more elements of the galant style, and although highly rhythmic there is less of the impression of direct translation into the keyboard works of flamenco and other gypsy and Spanish folk elements. Although I would probably prefer to hear these sonatas on the harpsichord, De Nebra clearly had the special sonorities of the fortepiano in mind for the slow movements. This is also true of the two more lyrical Pastorelas.
Sonics are first rate; any fans of Spanish keyboard music will have to have this CD if De Nebra is not already in their collection from the series of three Naxos Spanish Classics discs which covered all 30 extant sonatas.
– John Sunier
