Piano Music of Villa-Lobos

Review from American Record Guide December 2019

VILLA-LOBOS: Piano Pieces Bachianas Brasileiras 4; Choros 5; Prolo do Bebe selections+ Jason Solounias Sheva 218—69 minutes Solounias is a graduate of Shepherd University and the Catholic University of America; he is the executive director of the Puerto Rico Piano Festival, and he teaches in Virginia and Washington, DC. His performing resume may be modest compared to many of the artists we cover, but he is a superb musician. All the pieces were written after the composer’s 1920 trip to Paris, which he made “not to...learn from musicians there but to show what he had already done!” Solounias remarks on Villa-Lobos’s “big ego” and puts across confidence—but not arrogance— appropriately. He hones in on the orchestral colors in Villa-Lobos’s music and eschews flashy playing in favor of sober purpose. His approach may be less carnival-like than expected, but it brings out the intellect and grandeur of the music. In a very few places, he pauses at the edge of exultation, and I wish he had taken one more step. But overall the performances make a convincing argument for some of Villa-Lobos’s less known pieces. The piano is richly recorded by Sono Luminus Studios, a company known for sonic excellence. ESTEP

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The mission of the Puerto Rico International Piano Festival (Puerto Piano & Strings) is to give talented piano students of Puerto Rico, access to and opportunities at a world-class music festival. This week-long intensive program of lessons, masterclasses, and concerts, is a premier summer program. Puerto Piano & Strings is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible. Visit the website.