This 4CD set contains the complete keyboard music by Domenico Alberti, a First Recording!

Domenico Alberti lived a short but very productive life, from 1710?1740. He was famous as a composer, cembalo player and singer (the world famous castrato Farinelli heard him sing, and recognised in him a fearful rival).

Alberti claim to fame is his “discovery” of the so-called Alberti-bass: the accompanying left hand chord broken in a certain way (like c-g-e-g etc).

This figure forms the basis of the Viennese classical style, and was used by all composers of keyboard sonatas and sonatinas.

Alberti’s Sonatas and Toccatas are in two movements, the first an allegro in free form, followed by a mellow andante in arioso style. In order to achieve maximum variety Manuel Tomadin performs these works on three instruments: an historic organ (1773 Francesco Dacci organ), a harpsichord and a fortepiano.

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REVIEW:

Anyone who likes 18th-century keyboard music should investigate this release. This music is typical of many keyboard works written in the mid-18th century, for instance by Galuppi but also by someone like Haydn, whose early keyboard sonatas are called divertimento.

– MusicWeb International