Iberia Books 1 & 2 / Espana

Albeniz: Iberia, Espana Books 1 & 2 / Daniel Barenboim Composer: Isaac Albeniz Performer: Daniel Barenboim Over the years recordings of Albeniz's Iberia have always tended to rest under the shadow of Alicia de Larrocha. But Barenboim is totally his own man, a pianist on top form who knows just how to lift Spanish dance rhythms and conjure up glittering orchestral colors from the keyboard. He opens the 'Evocacion' gently and rapturously, first bringing out the piano's warm middle register, and then reaching up luminously to the upper range with equally magical tonal nuance and a completely free, languorous rubato. The coda is delectably gentle. The contrasting 'El Puerto' is brilliantly animated, the articulation sharpened, and again the music ebbs and flows with complete naturalness. Clean, quirky articulation for the opening of 'Fete-Dieu a Seville', leading to a big, thrillingly splashy climax. The three pieces from Book 2 are similarly characterful, with the cross-rhythms of 'Rondena' bold without being hammered. 'Almeria' is sultry, full of atmosphere, yet refreshingly alive and unmannered. Again, the flexing of tempo and changes of mood are seemingly spontaneous, with lovely dynamic shading: the rapturous closing section is beautifully played. The dainty opening of 'Triana' and the passionate middle-register melody which follows are utterly pianistic, yet again there are orchestral flashes of color to illuminate the textures. Daniel Barenboim was born in Buenos Aires on November 15, 1942, into a family of Ukrainian Jewish descent. Daniel's mother was his first piano teacher; he later studied with his father, Enrique Barenboim, who was an eminent music professor.