Joy In The Mail Part 1: Jorge Luis Prats, Live in Zaragoza
The mailman brought me a bundle of great joy a couple of weeks ago, when he handed me an packet of promotional materials and CDs from Decca. Upcoming releases by Yuja Wang, Jorge Luis Prats, and Behzod Aburaimov were included and I have been treated to quite the concerts on my weekly commutes. So, here is the first installment of posts about these recordings.
Jorge Luis Prats: Live In Zaragoza
“Don’t you dare celebrate my technique! I am never happy with it. What I love most is playing with wit, freedom and. Above all, a sense that the composer is all-important.”
Cuban pianist, Jorge Luis Prats, won the Marguetite Long-Jacques Thibaud competition in 1977. Politics greatly restricted his ability to concertize worldwide and he chose to build his career in his native Cuba. In 2006 he began receiving support from Patrons of Exceptional Artists and is thankfully able to again be heard again on the world stage.
The Goyescas of Granados are lush and sweeping—an epic tale. Mr. Prats highlights simplicity and uses romantic rubato in opposition to it. I was enchanted by his ability to hold back the tempo right to the edge of forward motion like a dancer spiraling so slowly upward that you wouldn’t think that something that slow could possibly be up.
Rhythmic energy and percussive patterns contrasted with folk songs and picked guitar effects come to the fore in the four pieces of the Bachiana brasileira no. 4 by Villa-Lobos. This performance is indeed 3D—full of the realities of life, love, and the vibrancy that is Brazil.
Three encores from Cuba finish out the recording. Alta Gracia by Carlos Fariñas brought to mind the sense of machine that Prokofiev’s music always has for me combined with Latin flair. The selection from Cerantes’ Danzas cubanas and Lecuona’s Malagueña contain the sheer fun you expect, combined with wit and subtlety.
Every voice and layer are heard in context in these performances. Simplicity is contrasted with complexity throughout—one minute there is a caress and the next an explosion. Operatic asides and full choruses abound. This is beautiful mature playing and all life’s experiences are evident within it.
Jorge Luis Prats: Live In Zaragoza will be released in both CD and downloadable formats (Decca 00289 478 2732) on April 3.
I don’t know his schedule but you can find out about his tours here: http://us.myspace.com/jorgeluisprats Thanks for reading!
Cuando va ha estar en concierto Jorge Luis Prasts en un lugar mas al sur de Miami o en el Dade County auditorium, Coral Gables, o otro auditorium. Aventura me queda lejos.