Search - Joaquin Rodrigo, Artur Pizarro :: Rodrigo: Piano Music

Irresistible!

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most people know Joaquín Rodrigo for his several concertos for guitar, foremost of which is his 'Concierto de Aranjuez,' which has certainly made it into classical music's top 100. But how many people know that he was a virtuoso pianist and wrote reams of solo piano music? Artur Pizarro, a Leeds International Piano Competiton winner and a real force on the international piano scene (and who grew up in Portugal and later in Lawrence, Kansas, only a few miles from where I'm sitting right now) is the perfect pianist to bring us this music. He was born in Portugal and his primary teacher was the eminent Portuguese-American pianist, Sequeira Costa, who was also his step-father. He plays with éclat and is given sparkling, lifelike sound by his recording engineer. I have been really enjoying this CD of virtually unknown music by Rodrigo (labeled '1' on the booklet cover, so maybe there is a series in the offing) as I have the series of Rodrigo orchestral CDs also coming out in the Naxos 'Spanish Classics' series. Naxos is to be praised for bringing us this music as well as that by Granados, Albéniz and de Falla as well as lesser-known composers like Guridi, Arámbarra and Donostia. Frankly I think Spanish music in general is underrated because of its immediate appeal to all listeners, including those who are not terribly versed in classical music. One reason is that the Spanish have two major elements in their favor--their lovely melodic sense and the beguiling rhythms taken from their folk music. I, frankly, am a sucker for most Spanish music except, I fear, for that written for the solo guitar. Maybe that's one reason I so like these piano pieces; they borrow rhythms from the guitar but without what, for me, is the wearisome sound of the guitar. I am aware that I am in a tiny minority here, but it has made me something of an aficionado of Spanish piano music as a result.



None of the music recorded here is in the same class as that of Granados or Albéniz. But, that said, all of it is extraordinarily attractive. Spanish rhythms abound. The sultry languor of the Spanish atmosphere suffuses this music. Can anyone hear these pieces without having a sensuous thrill? I doubt it. Rodrigo, of course, is one of Spain's most talented melody writers. I can't think of a single piece of his that doesn't have a singable melody. This CD contains numbers of what the Germans call an 'Ohrwurm' ('Earworm'), those melodies that you can't get out of your mind's ear once you've heard them.



It is hard for me to pick any favorites from the 23 tracks on this disc. But I will admit I kept going back to hear 'Pastoral,' one of Rodrigo's earliest works (indeed it was written when he was still a student) which reminds me of some of the deliciously unpretentious piano pieces by Federico Mompou (whose music, by the way, has also been recorded by Jordi Masó on Naxos; but there's an even better recent CD played by Stephen Hough on Hyperion). This is what someone has called 'foreground background music,' meaning music that sounds unpretentious enough to be played more or less unheard in the background, but whose felicities keep commanding your attention. Another favorite is 'Air de ballet sur le nom d'une jeune fille' ('Ballet Theme on a Young Girl's Name') whose title lets you in on the fact that Rodrigo was enormously influenced by the French impressionists--one of his main teachers was Paul Dukas--and uses many of their harmonic devices in his own nonetheless totally Spanish music.



At this budget price and with these totally committed performances by Pizarro in music that irresistible, you simply can't go wrong here.



TT=69'27"



Scott Morrison"

Hands down, a winner!

Steven Eldredge | New York, NY USA | 03/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Spanish piano music has been a love of mine ever since I first heard Alicia de Larrocha play back in the early 1970s. Through her I discovered the gorgeous, colorful, sunny worlds of Albeniz, Granados, Falla, Turina, and some modern Spaniards such as Surinach and Montsalvatge. I don't think she ever recorded any works by Rodrigo however, and this present CD by Artur Pizarro on Naxos is a revelation, as all the music was unknown to me until now.



This is a generous recital, about 70 minutes with a wide variety of music, from simple and soulful, to brilliant evocations of guitars and castanets. Rodrigo was always partial to the music of the sixteenth century and there are some pieces here reflecting that era,beautiful madrigal-like textures or gently strumming harp-like pieces. Artur Pizarro plays it all with immense verve, color and fantasy. A wonderful pianist!



Once again, Naxos has a winner on its hands, particularly at the extremely modest price. You cannot lose.



I can see already that I will be giving this CD as a gift quite a few times."