Falla: Piano Music, Vol. 2 (2007)

An adequate yet uninspiring performance, Daniel Ligorio's second volume of the piano music of Manuel de Falla is unlikely to evoke any particularly strong emotions either way. This seems to have as much to do with the recorded sound as anything else. The piano sounds quite dull, with the lower notes hitting like a "thud" and the upper register lacking enough resonance. Dull piano plus Spanish music equals dull Spanish music, lacking in the flair and panache delivered by the Grand Dame of Spanish piano music: Alicia de ... Read More

An adequate yet uninspiring performance, Daniel Ligorio's second volume of the piano music of Manuel de Falla is unlikely to evoke any particularly strong emotions either way. This seems to have as much to do with the recorded sound as anything else. The piano sounds quite dull, with the lower notes hitting like a "thud" and the upper register lacking enough resonance. Dull piano plus Spanish music equals dull Spanish music, lacking in the flair and panache delivered by the Grand Dame of Spanish piano music: Alicia de Larrocha. Ligorio's undertaking is not completely without its merits. His playing is technically quite proficient and he's obviously trying to convey the fiery emotions of the music; it just fails to come across as clearly as he might have hoped. The selection of pieces on the album is enjoyable and runs the gamut from early student works, the Fantasía bética (commissioned and premiered by Arthur Rubinstein, who also played with more flash than Ligorio), to the much more commonly heard... Read Less