Albéniz: Suite Iberia; Navarra

Isaac Albéniz's Suite Iberia took the composer some four years to complete, finishing it only shortly before his death. Consisting of 12 dance movements spread across four "notebooks," Iberia is a work culminating a career of capturing the essence of Spanish music and folklore. Successful performance of the suite relies on the performer having an innate and unwavering understanding of the Spanish musical idiom, exquisite detail, and nuance of ornamentation, and the ability to savor every note and every chord. Spanish-born pianist Luis Fernando Perez is certainly up to this challenge, having received the majority of his early training in his homeland. Perez's technical acumen cannot be faulted, and his steadfast adherence to the original score is quite laudable. From a musical standpoint, Perez's performance is equally satisfying. His pacing is spacious and leisurely; he plays with panache and ease throughout, brilliantly capturing the dance characteristics of each of the 12 movements. The most notable quality Perez lacks that one of his mentors -- Alicia de Larrocha -- possessed in abundance is a rich, warm sound. His instrument at times seems too clean, too edgy. A bit more resonance and depth, particularly in the lower half of the instrument, would be beneficial. ~ Mike Brownell, All Music Guide