Mozart dubbed him ‘mere mechanicus’ and with that musical curse, Clementi was, for long, doomed to piano student exercises and the occasional sonata movement for examinations. Yet, he had a remarkable career in London where he settled for most of his life and was fiscally in far better shape than Mozart with whom he once competed. One of the first pianists to change the Clementi trend was American-born Lamar Crowson, best known as pianist with The Melos Ensemble of London. In 1968 he recorded two LPs of Clementi Sonatas for L’Oiseau-Lyre and this is their first release on CD.
MUZIO CLEMENTI
Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 50 No. 3
Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 33 No.1
Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 33 No. 3
Piano Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 5
Piano Sonata in B minor, Op. 40 No. 2
Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 25 No. 4
Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 7 No. 3
Sonata in B flat major, Op. 24 No. 2
Lamar Crowson, piano
‘Lamar Crowson plays splendidly. He is accurate, fleet of finger, as expressive as the music allows and always decisive … Clementi clearly has a powerful advocate in Mr. Crowson’ Gramophone