La ciencia vuelve a España: Iberia, Libro I

Started by Todd, August 26, 2025, 05:52:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Todd



Pola Baytelman goes for a super-slow Evocación, with rich tonality and a close microphone enhanced scale.  A languid approach married to so-so rubato and limited dynamic contrast leads to a somewhat enervating listening experience.  El Puerto is swifter and more vibrant, but the too close recording exposes the limits here.  Put the pianist in a medium size venue with distant microphones, and the sound would be small, and the delivery undernourished.  Corpus Christi en Seville finally kicks things into gear, in relative terms.  If one pulls out the recording randomly, it's fine, but in a survey it suffers.  D tier.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd



Rafael Orozco in his later career, if it can truly be described that way, had moved away slightly from his leaner, meaner younger years a bit and it shows.  His Evocación is clear, never veering into especially dreamy or impressionistic territory, but his rubato, his attention to detail, his leisurely tempo, and his control combine to create a sound that just about as Spanish as can be.  Reminders of his more youthful style inform El Puerto, where vigor and incisiveness meet fluid tempo fluctuations and energy.  Corpus Christi en Seville sees Orozco ramping things up and hitting the keys rather harder in the loudest passages, while never sounding hard or aggressive – or at least too aggressive.  It's just the right amount.  Every time I listen to an Orozco recording, I lament his early passing.  A tier.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd



Guillermo Gonzalez offers up a reasonably paced Evocación, with nice rubato, nice dynamics, and nice everything else.  It's nice.  Gonzales comes alive in El Puerto, showing a penchant for more vibrant playing, with rhythm and dynamics wholly satisfactory.  Corpus Christi en Seville blends nice playing and vibrant playing.  Overall, nice.  C tier.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd



Angel Huidobro is somewhat like Gonzales, with less interesting rubato, and in less appealing recorded sound.  It's not terrible.  It's there.  D tier.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd



Gabriele Tomasello, online content creator and pianist of very wide-ranging enthusiasms and hideous album covers, got the nod because I wanted to try one real pianist who releases potentially questionable "recordings".  The recorded sound in Evocación is suffocatingly close and the piano tone is unbalanced and off.  The overall tempo is not fast, but the playing sounds rushed, and the rubato and dynamics sound either outright artificial or enhanced.  I guess the tone, as real as it is or is not, is not harsh.  El Puerto is so dynamically constricted that the whole thing becomes a musical blob with rhythm.  Corpus Christi en Seville is much the same.  The sound is so off that it sure seems like this ain't no real piano or piano recording, but for the purposes of this survey I will accept that it is one.  So, yeah, it sucks.  D tier.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya