The world-premiere recording of Roberto Sierra's Glosas may provide the greatest incentive for the adventurous to try this CD, and this dramatic piano concerto may be counted as one of the most coherent and strikingly original works to emerge from the 1980s. Pianist
José Ramos Santana and the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by
Kenneth Klein, play Sierra's concerto with bold color, brilliant technique, and complete emotional involvement, and make a convincing case for this work's inclusion in the permanent repertoire. But, ultimately, Glosas is not the most satisfying offering on the disc. Top honors go instead to the utterly captivating performance of
Ravel's delicious Piano Concerto in G major, which
Ramos Santana and the
RPO play with humor, vitality, vividness, sensitivity, and refinement -- all qualities that cohere into a magical rendition that may be heard again and again without fatigue. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22, by
Saint-Saëns is also performed with fine technique and tender expression, and
Ramos Santana's fans may feel his Romantic side is shown to best advantage here. Yet as compelling as he is in this performance,
Ramos Santana seems to have found an ideal vehicle in the
Ravel, which should take him far in his career.