Luckily for us Brilliant Classics has brought together in one package the three albums of
Isaac Albéniz's piano music performed by
Esteban Sánchez and previously released on the Spanish label Ensayo.
Sánchez, who died in 1978, was a pianist who chose to teach rather than make a career out of performing. There is little to no information on him in most classical music reference resources. However, he could easily have become a well-known concert artist had he wanted to. In these works by his fellow countryman,
Sánchez seems to become one with the music, so naturally does it flow through his fingers. At times his playing is just awe-inspiring. There is a real brilliance and life in it, especially in
Albéniz's later works. The festival scene in Corpus Christi en Sevilla from Iberia is vibrant and exuberant, but it ends very reverently. It is not smoothly polished, which is not to say that it is technically imperfect, but it feels real and truly descriptive, not just a glassy reflection of a festival. In
Albéniz's earlier works, such as España, which are by no means as virtuosic, but still full of Spanish flavor, many pianists have to work harder to control their tone, colorings, and dynamics, and that extra effort can often be heard. Not so with
Sánchez.
Sánchez's playing sounds entirely instinctive. These recordings were made between 1968 and 1974, so the sound is not perfect, but it is pretty good. Also, the highest notes of the piano sound too brassy on the first disc, but overall, the value of the performances outweighs any sound problems in the set.