Enrique GRANADOS (1867-1916)
Piano Music, Volume 3.
Preludio en re mayor. Danza lenta. Escenas románticas. Barcarola.
Caprichio español. Libro de horas. Paisaje. Allegro appassionato.
Allegro de
concierto.
Douglas Riva (piano).
Naxos 8.554628 [DDD] [67'02]
Crotchet
Amazon
UK
Douglas Riva and the grande dame of Spanish piano music, Alicia de
Larrocha are working together on a Granados edition, to be published in 2001
by Editorial Boileau, S.A. Riva's reading of Granados, while not carrying
an ultimate sense of authority, nevertheless captures much of the flavour
of this music. Thus the glittery Preludio which opens the disc (an
unpublished piece which here receives its first recording) admirably introduces
the Hispanic musical language.
Riva seems happier in the more delicate pieces: he brings out the gentle
Spanish flavour of Capricho español well and is appropriately
restrained in Paisaje (c1912). Elsewhere he can tend towards the
pedestrian (as in the Danza lenta, where the harmonies possess more in-built
tension than Riva is willing to acknowledge) or the superficial (the dark
colours of Libro de horas could certainly be bleaker).
The sparkling Allegro de concierto is occasionally sloppy and he misses
the sweep of some of the melodies. Riva ultimately needs to add an extra
sprinkling of throwaway virtuosity here.
A mixed disc. Some beautifully spun sonorities vie with missed opportunities.
The recording is adequate.
Reviewer
Colin Clarke
Performance
Recording
