Bartolomeo Cristofori’s invention of the escapement action brought a wide and continuously variable dynamic range to the stringed keyboard. Only three of his original fortepianos survive‚ including the one held in the Leipzig University Museum used here. Luca Guglielmi has programmed six Baroque sonatas which are suited‚ for various reasons‚ to the fortepiano. Giustini’s 12 Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte (1732) are the earliest known music for the instrument. Though such an instrument was available at the Spanish court we have no evidence that Scarlatti was entranced by it. There was a ‘gravicembalo con piano e forte’ by Cristofori in Marcello’s Venetian home and the Sonata recorded here suits it well even if it was not written for it. So‚ except in the case of Giustini‚ we are in the realms of speculation and propinquity. The names of Ciaja and Giustini are absent from the current REDClassical Catalogue. The former’s four­movement Sonata begins strongly with a Toccata Arpeggio that brings Bach to mind but ends with an inconsequential Secondo tempo: Maestoso. Giusti’s five movements‚ lightweight but attractive‚ bring out the strengths of the ‘new’ instrument. The forte­piano’s crystalline clarity combined with Gugliemi’s splendid technique and musicality make this a rewarding issue. Woody sounds of mechanical ‘protest’ are minimal and unobtrusive.