On paper John Cage and Domenico Scarlatti—the experimental American composer and the late-Baroque keyboard maverick—make for an odd juxtaposition. But where some might hear contrast in the sonatas of this unlikely couple, pianist David Greilsammer hears complement.

This episode of LPR Live features the Israeli virtuoso live in performance of four sonatas, two each by Cage and Scarlatti. These performances are extracted from a larger recital by Greilsammer at Le Poisson Rouge that mirrors his 2014 Sony Classical release, “Scarlatti : Cage.” 

This episode features Domenico Scarlatti's A-minor Piano Sonata K.175, A-Major Piano Sonata K.492, and John Cage's Prepared Piano Sonatas No. 5 and 12 performed by David Greilsammer on pianos, with interviews from pianist David Greilsammer, and archival WNYC interview recordings from composer John Cage. This concert was recorded live at at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on May 27, 2014. Hear the complete show at www.q2music.org.

John Cage’s Sonatas for Prepared Piano were featured by permission of C.F. Peters Corp, all rights reserved.