Keyboard music in the Iberian Peninsula during the first half of the eighteenth was dominated by three composers; Carlos Seixas (1704-1742), Padre Antonio Soler (1729-1783) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). These three composers were instrumental in the growth of the binary form sonata in the Iberian Peninsula which dominated harpsichord music to an even greater degree than the tiento in the previous two centuries.

The harpsichord sonatas of Carlos Seixas and Padre Antonio Soler strongly reveal the influence of Scarlatti with whom they studied. All three were also instrumental in developing the ‘novel’ galant style that effectively provided a stepping stone between the Baroque and Classical periods.

In the mid 1970s, Richard Lester was described both by the Daily Telegraph and the Times as ‘one of our leading players’ and more recently acclaimed as ‘one of the greatest early music performers of this or any other time.’ His first major break came in 1981 when Sir William Glock, former BBC controller of music, invited him to perform a solo harpsichord recital at the Bath International Festival. Countless solo performances followed including concerts at the Bruges Festival, Wigmore Hall, and London’s South Bank Centre. Teaching posts have included Dartington International Summer School where he gave master classes, concerts and lectures with FernandoValenti. Lester’s recording of the complete cycle of more than 600 Scarlatti sonatas also released on Nimbus has won international acclaim.

Contents:

Carlos Seixas (1704-1742)
Sonata in D minor No.19 Allegro
Sonata in D minor No.20 Allegro assai
Sonata in F major No.23 Allegro Giga Minuet
Sonata in A major No.11 Allegro Adagio Allegro assai 9.42
Sonata in D minor No. 6 Allegro
Sonata in D minor No. 5 Presto – Minuet
Sonata in G minor No. 25 Allegro assai)

Antonio Soler (1729-1783)
Sonata in F-sharp major R 90
Sonata in D-flat major R 88
Sonata in F major R 56
Sonata in D minor R 117
Sonata in D major R 84
Sonata in G major R 45
Sonata in D major R 15
Fandango