Search - Manuel Ponce :: Ponce: Variations & Sonatas

Technically speaking...

B. R. Townsend | Mexico | 11/10/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"My original review was less than fair to the artist, so here goes a revision. Mr. Hoppstock has piles of technique, but he is a also a very musical player, so let's give him credit.



We can also give him full credit for exploring manuscript versions of these pieces which reveal some interesting alternatives. But I have to seriously question whether the simple existence of a manuscript indicates that this is the composer's FINAL intention. Segovia made some changes. The success or failure of these changes must be based on more than supposed compositorial intention. On the whole, I think that Segovia's musical instincts were extremely good.



NB: Amazon's track listing for this recording is incorrect: the first piece is the Sonatina meridional, then the urtext version of the Theme, Variations and Finale, then eight preludes, followed by the Sonata III and the Folias variations. Hoppstock only plays fourteen of the twenty variations. This is another problem, of course. Much though I am not fond of Williams' mannered version, he at least includes all the variations. No matter which you choose to leave out, some listeners at least will be saying "but that was my favourite one!""