Sonate D-moll / Sonate D-moll / Sonate D-dur / Sonate A-dur

This 1960 recording released on the East German ETERNA label features pianist Annerose Schmidt interpreting four of Domenico Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas. Produced during the height of the Cold War, the release highlights the mission of ETERNA, the state-run record label of the German Democratic Republic, which sought to promote both classical canon and domestic talent through high-fidelity pressings intended for a socialist listening public.

The design of this release reflects the minimalist aesthetic of mid-century Eastern Bloc institutional labels, focusing on formal typography and stark, functional sleeve art. Annerose Schmidt was a prominent figure in the GDR’s cultural landscape, known for her precise, academic approach to the Baroque repertoire. As a performer, her work on this label helped solidify her reputation within the Eastern Bloc, where she was widely celebrated for her technical clarity and adherence to traditional structural interpretations of Scarlatti’s compositions.