Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) is recognized by most scholars and musicians as the founder of modern keyboard technique. He referred to the hundreds of sonatas he composed as "an ingenious jesting with art." But in these "jests," the great baroque composer explored new worlds of virtuoso technique, and created works of dazzling originality that are considered the crowning achievements of his career.
These exciting, briskly paced compositions...