Contemporary tracks, traditional tunes.

• Author: Holston, Mark
• Position: Music Notes - Sound Recording Review

Jorge Federico Osorio Piano Espanol (Cedille Records 90000 075)

Rosana Lanzelotte O Cravo Brasileiro (UNI 001)

Marco Rizo Carnival Miami (Sampi Records 0140576562)

Mexican pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, noted for his performances with many of the world's leading symphonies as well as directing his country's Brahms Music Festival, turns to touchstone works by Spanish composers for this solo recital The exquisitely crafted program explores the artistry of Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albeniz, Padre Antonio Soler, and Eurique Granados. De Falla's four Piezas Espanolas, written in 1908, are the most contemporary works on the program, while four sonatas by the church-trained Soler were written for harpsichord in the mid 1700s. Oserio performs four of Granados's twelve-part Danzas Espanolas, including the well-known, Moorish influenced "Dance No. 5." The eight movements featured from Albeniz's Suite Espanola No. 1 draw their inspiration--and take their names--from regions in Spain, including Asturias, Cadiz, and Cataluna.

Harpsichordist Rosana Lanzelotte dramatically expands the knowledge of this seldom-heard keyboard instrument in modern Brazilian classical music on O Cravo Brasileiro. Lanzelotte features several works for piano by Ernesto Nazareth and other Brazilian composers that she's adapted for the harpsichord, but devotes most of the program to more contemporary pieces written specifically for the instrument, including several created with her in mind. Some tracks reflect the pervading influence of the European Baroque tradition, while others, such as Rio de Janeiro-born composer Dawid Korenchendler's "Momentos Brasileiros," incorporate such indigenous rhythms as choro and forro. Percussionist Fernando Maciel de Moura accompanies Lanzelotte on the pandeiro (tambourine) on this and other strongly Brazilian-popular-music-oriented tracks, adding a folkloric perspective to this unusual, historically important recording.

Carnival Miami features the late Cuban pianist Marco Rizo and his all-star Lalin Jazz Ensemble. Rizo was a classically trained pianist and composer who became a household name in the U.S. in the 1950s when he worked with fellow Cuban musician and actor Desi Arnaz as an instrumentalist and arranger for Ricky Ricardo's orchestra on TV's I Love Lucy program. Carnival is a compilation of tracks from some of Rizo's recordings from that era. The legendary talent on display includes percussionists Candido Camero and Jose Mangual and...