American harpsichordist Scott Ross was one of the great musical personalities of France in the 1980s. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he learned piano and organ, he was closely tied to France from his adolescence on, when his mother moved there following the death of her husband. Ross studied harpsichord at the Conservatory in Nice with Huguette Grémy-Chauliac before deciding to settle in the Hérault département of southern France, near the Château d’Assas, which would become his favourite recording studio. It was in 1984 that he became closely linked to Erato. From this extraordinary collaboration would come numerous releases. In partnership with Radio France, the American first carried out a colossal project: the complete recording Domenico Scarlatti’s 555 sonatas – a pioneering work, unique in the history of recording.
Playing a sumptuous instrument built by David Ley, Scott Ross attains the summits here. In the Presto of the Italian Concerto, the lines unfold without rushing, the rhythm remains absolutely inflexible, the episodes ‘fit together’ with radiant ease, and the alternation of piano and forte episodes in the style of Corelli or Vivaldi is constantly revealed with dazzling intelligence. Although the Cantor of Leipzig’s music occasionally evokes a stream flowing imperturbably, Scott Ross’s accounts proclaim it loud and clear. A year later, on 13 June 1989, Scott Ross died.
Playing a sumptuous instrument built by David Ley, Scott Ross attains the summits here. In the Presto of the Italian Concerto, the lines unfold without rushing, the rhythm remains absolutely inflexible, the episodes ‘fit together’ with radiant ease, and the alternation of piano and forte episodes in the style of Corelli or Vivaldi is constantly revealed with dazzling intelligence. Although the Cantor of Leipzig’s music occasionally evokes a stream flowing imperturbably, Scott Ross’s accounts proclaim it loud and clear. A year later, on 13 June 1989, Scott Ross died.
