Those who have loved Tharaud's gentle way with Rameau and Chopin may be disconcerted by the totally different sound he brings to Scarlatti: brittle, metallic, incorporating the sounds of the guitar which Scarlatti wove into his wildly imaginative keyboard sonatas. There is more than a touch of flamenco too in the percussive effects and sharp rhythms (plus an added dissonance or two?). A compensating lyricism sings through the quieter sonatas and Tharaud's attention to musical detail is, as ever, combined with total spontaneity. The recorded sound adds warmth and this is a wonderfully original reimagining of both repertory and instrument.