It’s really a crime that you’ll almost never encounter this music at so-called “serious” symphonic concerts. If you put together the last three numbers on this recording–the “Faust” Fantasy, Barcarolle, and Caprice-Jota–you have a perfect, concerto-length triptych in fast, slow, fast form. It would be a spectacular, audience-pleasing showcase for the soloist, and I have no doubt that Ms. Yang would enjoy taking it on tour. The problem today is that orchestras and (especially) conductors are so shy of learning “new” music, and concert promoters are so terrified of anything that’s not the same old stuff, that creative programming is practically impossible with major, well-established (meaning the best) orchestras.
Happily we can enjoy the music on disc. As in previous releases in this series, Tianwa Yang plays marvelously, fearlessly, and with great freshness and verve. Her technique is impeccable–note the immaculately-tuned harmonics in the Caprice-Jota, or her nicely grainy, “primal” drone-bass timbre at the start of Muiñeiras. She’s a joy to listen to, and Ernest Izquierdo’s accompaniments have all the poetry and shameless gusto that’s necessary to convince us that we’re listening to music of real quality, never mind the flash. Naxos’ sonics offer ideal balances, and flatter both soloist and orchestra. Few projects in recent days have proven themselves more lovable than this series. [4/11/2011]
