Domenico Scarlatti ： Sonata in h-moll K.498 L.350

Scarlatti’s Sonata in B minor, K.498, L.350 is a concise and concentrated work shaped by the shading and tension characteristic of the minor mode. Based essentially on a two-part structure, it moves forward as the material presented in the first part is developed in the second, with changing tonalities and sonorities. The exchanges between the hands and the ornamented passagework convey Scarlatti’s characteristic agility and conversational quality. In performance, it is important to maintain a clear rhythmic flow without overcrowding the sound, and to keep the ornaments integrated with the main melody. Carefully shaped dynamic contrasts, together with the tension of B minor within the lightness, bring the work’s expression into sharper focus.