Souvenirs
Navona, 2024
9/10
The inimitable pianist Carlos Manuel Vargas brings us a solo listen where sounds from many parts of the world meet for a very intimate and rich listen.
Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Impressões Seresteiras” opens the affair with dizzying and complicated keys via Vargas’ finger acrobatics, and “Virtuoso Etudes after Gershwin”, by George Gershwin and arranged by Earl Wild, follows with so much radiating beauty and color from the captivating delivery.
Moving into the middle, the swift “Estudio en Zamba” illustrates a highly melodic gesture via the Rafael Bullumba Landestoy original, while Francis Poulenc’s “Hommage à Edith Piaf”, the album’s best, is full of rich and dynamic piano prowess that few others could replicate.
José María Vitier’s “Preludio de Sofía” arrives close to the end and offers a heartfelt and cautious moment, and “Levante”, by Osvaldo Golijov, finishes with complicated but certainly accessible instrumentation that will always be enjoyable.
A body of work that’s dramatic, romantic and with Latin influences, Vargas plays flawlessly and memorably here.
Travels well with: Yoko Hirota- Small Is Beautiful; Drift- Society Of Composers, Inc. Volume 34