Muzio Clementi (1752-1832), also known as “The Father of the Pianoforte” played an essential role in the development of both piano repertoire and the instrument itself. As a composer and virtuoso pianist, his sonatas spanned the transition from Scarlatti’s keyboard style to the beginnings of the Romantic period; as a publisher and manufacturer, he was responsible for a number of developments to piano performance and construction. His music is full of wit, elegance, budding romantic emotions, brilliance and a spectacular display of virtuosity. As a teacher and pianist himself Clementi developed the piano technique in a revolutionary way, paving the way for later keyboard giants Mendelssohn, Chopin and Liszt.

This new recording presents the two Sonatas Op. 25 Nos. 5 & 6, the Sonata Op. 37 No. 2 and the Musical Characteristics Op. 19 (with the subtitle: A collection of Preludes and Cadenzes for the Harpsichord or Pianoforte in the style of Haydn, Kozeluch, Mozart, Sterke, Vanhal and The Author). Korean pianist Ilia Kim was educated in Berlin, the Salzburg Mozarteum, Hochschule Hannover and the Imola Piano school in Italy, where she settled in 1998. She is an active concert pianist, having played at important festivals like Schleswig-Holstein, Dubrovnik and the Tiroler Festspiele. Her previous Clementi recording for Piano Classics (PCL10128) met with great critical acclaim: “Crisp and vibrant accounts” (Sunday Times).