Beside the fact that Georg Friedrich Handel and Domenico Scarlatti were born in the same year, there are many connections between the two composers. Hndel spent the years between 1706 and 1710 in Italy, studying the great traditions of Italian Opera and was particularly influenced by the work of Alessandro Scarlatti. During this time he met with Domenico Scarlatti, the son of Alessandro, and the two composers competed in a friendly musical duel arranged by the wealthy patron, Ottoboni. The composers demonstrated equal expertise in the cembalo but everyone, including Scarlatti, agreed that Hndel was a superior organist. The works recorded on this compact disc were composed originally for the harpsichord, an instrument that looks similar to a piano but whose sound quality is closer to the intimate timbre of the guitar due to the same plucking action of the strings. This was a principal reason for making these transcriptions….
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