Harpsichordist Anna Paradiso has been recording for BIS for a while now, but this is her first recording of the music of Pietro Domenico Paradisi. A little surprising, given how well their names match up, but there you go. While Paradisi’s not the most well-known composer these days, back in the second half of the 18th century he was championed by Leopold Mozart, Clementi, and Cramer.

Paradisi’s music is in the super-theatrical galant style, and boy-oh-boy does Paradiso highlight it. Although the harpsichord is limited in its ability to change dynamics, Paradiso nimbly alters phrases, tempos, and rhythms to keep the listener guessing in the various harpsichord sonatas. There are yet more colours to hear, though, since she takes a surprising route and plays some of the sonatas on both clavichord and fortepiano. So simple, but it really does enliven the whole release up – hearing the ways that both the instruments and Paradiso’s performances shift across the album is fascinating. The appearance of the resonant fortepiano Sonata No 6, for instance, comes as a complete surprise after a few tracks of harpsichord pieces, and to follow that soon...