Enrico Plays Bach Handel Scarlatti

CamJazz*****

Devotees of classical music will have definite ideas of how these baroque compositions should be played, especially about tempo markings, and some may regard improvising on them as sacrilegious. But it’s a legitimate approach from the standpoint of a 20th-century improviser such as Enrico Pieranunzi. As on his 2008 Scarlatti album, these piano pieces are either preceded or followed by improvisation, though two performances, Bach’s Prelude in G BWV 481 and Bourrée I II BWV 807, are without it. Pieranunzi’s improvisations are developed organically from the subject and treated in an appropriately Baroque manner. It’s hardly jazz, though his improvisations reflect the experience of a contemporary jazz pianist. But this does little to convey the flavour of his clear and precise articulation, or the warm, rich and complex response he brings to music he loves. see CamJazz.com