This splendid recital provides a comprehensive overview of some classical Spanish piano music and ultimately adds up to more than the sum of its various parts. At 78 minutes it’s also a very good deal. Jorge Federico Osorio knows this music as well as any pianist alive, and his performances bespeak the wisdom of maturity with no loss of freshness or spontaneity. There are many highlights, but I particularly enjoyed the elegant way his left hand caresses the keyboard in “Cubana” from Falla’s Piezas Españolas, the evocative reading of “Granada” from Albéniz’s Suite Española (so close in spirit to Larrocha’s acclaimed version on Spanish EMI), and his really captivating voicing of melody against accompaniment in Granados’ ever-popular Spanish Dance No. 5.
So there’s poetry aplenty, but also bravura. Granados’ first Spanish Dance erupts with impetuous verve, especially coming as it does after the sequence of Soler sonatas. Here Osorio manages to preserve the clean articulation of the harpsichord while still providing a healthy amount of pianistic dynamic nuance. His spectacular reading of the Sonata in D-flat, with its furious repeated notes, very well may constitute the high point of the disc. Sonically this recording strikes me as ideal: slightly dry and clear as a bell, which suits the repertoire perfectly but also forces the pianist to achieve warmth though gradations of touch and tonal nuance. In short, what you hear is what Osorio does, and what he does is pretty terrific. [5/5/2004]
