Gabriela Montero: Solatino

Gabriela Montero: piano

The composers Montero has chosen to showcase are Ernesto Lecuona (1896-1963) from Cuba, Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934) from Brazil, Antonío Esteves (1916-88), Teresa Carreño (1853-1917) and Moisés Moleiro (1904-79) from Venezuela and Alberto Ginastera (1916-83) from Argentina. ‘These,’ Montero feels, ‘are some of the greatest representatives of this genre of music. For me it is music that is so alive that it transcends the written score. When you approach this music and you learn it and play it, you have to let go of all the pre-established notions of what is right and what is wrong. You really have to dance with it. You must have a physical way of seeing the music – it’s very sensual and very descriptive. You can almost hear the conversation between people within it.’ Many of the 26 miniatures Montero has selected for her CD are dance-based. The exception is Ginastera’s four-movement Sonata No.1 composed in 1952 and generally considered to be his master work for the piano, demanding incredible virtuosity. ‘The Ginastera Sonata is a very enigmatic and at times mysterious and violent piece – in a way, very animalistic,’ says Montero. ‘In that respect it’s a different sound on the recording. The rest of the repertoire on the disc is a lot of fun, lively and song-orientated, but I think the whole programme is well-rounded in the way it describes Latin America. I’m thrilled to be playing these pieces and to have recorded them.’

Price: $21.98