This CD is part of a series from the Russian label Boheme, titled “Chapters from the History of Keyboard Music in Russia.” The Manfredini works are quite an unusual chapter, plus they are all world premiere recordings. Russia isn’t exactly a center of early music activity, but a number of fine such recordings have come from the Caro Mitis label, and Radchenkov is a graduate of the Leningrad State Conservatory and active in several early music ensembles.
Several Italian composers made their way to the Russian court in the 18th century, and Manfredini was one of them, originally arriving as the harpsichordist for the traveling opera company of the composer Locatelli. He stayed on and became a central figure in St. Petersburg’s musical life. Galuppi – another Italian composer – came to St. Petersburg and Manfredini became his assistant. In an effort to win the favor of Empress Catherine, Manfredini composed these six sonatas, dedicated them to her, and presented them to her. He then returned to Italy for a time. One of his royal pupils had later ascended the throne and invited him back, but upon searching for a copy of his six sonatas in the court library, Manfredini could not find them, and shortly afterwards he died.
The sonatas were thus lost for almost 150 years, until they turned up at the Bologna Academy of Music. The works are all in the style of early Classicism, with mostly three movements using the types of sonata form construction that existed at the time. They are inventive and characterized by unpredictable changes of theme. They are notated with simplicity and little variety of texture, so performer/scholar Radchenkov has taken that as an opening for the improvisation of ornamentation – as was usually carried out at the time of their writing. The pickup of the harpsichord is natural and rich without overmuch mechanical noise. The venue was the Petersburg Recording Studio and obviously modern equipment. (I shudder to think what a harpsichord recording from the old days of the Soviet Melodiya label would have sounded like, if there even were any then…)
– John Sunier
