“Two Continents” – CHOPIN: Scherzi for Piano Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4; PIAZZOLLA: Invierno Porteno; GADE: Celos; NAZARETH: Odeon; LOYOLA: El Tecolote; OTEY: Arabesque; GOMEZ-TAGLE: No Me Deies Jamas – Leticia Gomez-Tagle, piano – Urtext JBCC 184, 1 hour [Distrib. by Naxos] ****:
The Mexican classical label has assembled here a program of piano music by Chopin and some 20th century Latin American composers. Pianist Gomez-Tagle had released an earlier album of Chopin Preludes, and wanted to record a second one of the Four Scherzi, but to also include some works from her own continent of Latin America. She mentions how it has become fashionable for some classical pianists to included works from their own country along with their usual European works. Thence the Two Continents title of this CD, and the works by Piazzolla, Gade, Nazareth, Otey, Loyola, and Gomez-Tagle. The last two pieces are world premiere recordings.
The first of the Chopin Scherzi is quite different from the normal light and unstressed style of most scherzi. It is very dark, strongly emotional, and in its central section uses a tune from a traditional Polish Christmas carol. Like all of the composer’s piano works, it displays amazing virtuosity but at the same time deeply-felt emotions. The other three scherzi are lighter in nature, but still unmistakably Chopin.
The Piazzolla tango is one of his most beautiful, the last in his suite Cuatro Estaciones Portenas, originally for piano and bandoneon. Brazilian composer Nazareth is represented on a number of recordings, and his Odeon tango was named after the movie theater where he played piano in the 1920s silent movie days. The last three pieces are by Mexican composers and tunefully round out the varied program that spans two continents. Performance and sonics are both first rate.
– John Sunier
