Juana Zayas:A Treasury of Cuban Piano Classics

Juana Zayas:A Treasury of Cuban Piano Classics

Juana Zayas:A Treasury of Cuban Piano Classics
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CD Details

Composer: Cervantes
Composer: Caturia
Composer: Hernandez
Performer: Juana Zayas
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-01-01
Music Label: Music & Arts Programs of America
Soundtracks:
  1. Three Knocks
  2. Why? Eh?
  3. Don't Touch Me
  4. Gone, Never To Return
  5. The Wake
  6. Weep No More
  7. The Charmer
  8. Intimate
  9. Homage
  10. The Message
  11. Farewell To Cuba
  12. Pst!
  13. Put Down
  14. Forever Yes
  15. Reminiscence
  16. Invitation
  17. Zig-Zags
  18. Lady In Waiting
  19. Cri-Cri
  20. The Jealous One
  21. Pecking Gossip
  22. Return Home
  23. Improvised
  24. I Love You Dearly
  25. Far Away From You!
  26. The Gazebo
  27. Interrupted
  28. The Hearty Laughter
  29. Grand Lady
  30. Almendares
  31. Lost Illusions
  32. Dance No More
  33. It Must Be
  34. Friendship
  35. Decision
  36. Amen
  37. Pastoral Lullaby
  38. Lucumi Dance (Dedicated To Joaquin Nin)
  39. Dance Of The Drum
  40. Cubanas: Touque De Clave
  41. Cubanas: Son
  42. Cubanas: Guajira
  43. Cubanas: Prld En Son
  44. In The Old Manner
  45. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: The Midnight Conga
  46. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: African Dance
  47. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: ...And The Black Woman Danced!
  48. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: Dance Of The Nanigos
  49. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: Lucumi Dance (Dedicated To Joaquin Nin)
  50. Six Afro-Cuban Dances: The Comparsa

Music reviews of Juana Zayas:A Treasury of Cuban Piano Classics

Music Review: Great Cuban music by a not so Great Cuban pianist
Rating: 1 Stars

When I read the previous review by "A music fan" from New Jersey, I got excited and just had to have this CD. As a Cuban, in Miami, I am always proud of recordings representing the great heritage that is Cuban music. When the artist is Cuban it peaks my interest more. Keeping and open mind, a little red flag went off in my head though: the review made Ms. Zayas sound like one of the greatest pianists that ever lived.
Ms. Zayas is not. In all fairness, she is a very good pianist for sure, but certainly not one of the great pianists and CERTAINLY not one of the greatest Cuban pianists ever. Santiago Rodriguez and others qualify on a much higher calibre, and, in my humble opinion, Ernesto Lecuona was the greatest Cuban pianist ever to live. Furthermore, To paraphrase the previous review in a different manner: it truly is not fair to place Ms. Zayas on a calibre with a pianist like the incomparable perfection of a Tirino: he is in a much higher calibre than Zayas-as the ground is to the stars in the heavens, Tirino shines radiantly above Zayas in ALL ways. Sometimes, there seems an annoying tendency by a few individuals (in the minority) to feel that one must be Cuban to play Cuban music well. That provincial thinking would mean only Germans play German music well, Italians Italian music, French their music, etc. Very silly. Ms. Zayas may play Chopin Etudes well (I hold Ashkenzay's and Pollini's readings as irreprochable), but Chopin is about as different from Lecuona as Mozart is from Puccini. Although her Chopin was praised in International Piano Quarterly, Tirino's Lecuona was hailed by Time magazine as one of the ten best recordings of the year, "Fingers Ablaze", and as best of year in Stereo Review, as "the reincarnation of Lecuona", and by the New York Times as "monumental and comprehensive"- Publications that have a greater and wider global impact. I do not know Tirino, nor have I ever met him-but he has done much for Lecuona and Cuban cultural awareness on a worldwide level, with great distinction.
But ah, the music and the interpretations. The Cervantes on the disc is played prettily enough, but with no great insights in form, style, color, or imagination. The Hernández and Caturla are delivered well enough, with thought and depth. The Lecuona is another matter enitrely. In general, Ms. Zayas color palette ranges only from about mezzopiano(mp) to a single forte (f). Nothing beyond, and nothing in between. She also has an annoying mannerism of pausing before downbeats (and sometimes after) breaking the flow and rhythm of the dances, and in the case of the Lecuona, destroying the form entirely-it's as if she carefully places her passages before delivery to ensure they are clean-generally, a very studied air. Compare the utter perfection of Tirino's Afro-Cuban Danzas on BIS to hers: Tirino creates contrasts in middle sections of his danzas as the form requires, while Zayas plays with a single rhythm, Tempo, and color throughout. In Tirino's Conga de Media Moche, Danza de los Ñáñigos and in particular, La Comparsa...their is a real air of mystery and exoticism: the colors Tirino achieves from ppp (triple piano) to fff (triple forte) as marked in Lecuona's scores are miraculous. Zayas plods along in mezzopiano(mp), and no greater than a single forte(f) occasionally, throughout. Tirino NEVER bangs. Zayas does achieve one double forte(never a triple forte) in the Danza Lucumí, but here, mannered by an ill phrased staccato left hand (the score is marked legato), she POUNDS and her sound turns as hard as nails. Her Comparsa is flip-you don't hear or see the procession building, passing, or dying away. Her octaves in the middle section of ...Y la Negra Bailaba are slow, labored, heavy and forte, not softly and quickly like the seemingly inhuman delivery by Tirino. The same for the Zayas' Danza Negra. Tirino includes Lecuona's own editorial changes to the scores in his performances: Zayas has none of it. Tirino's playing has Sabor- sal y mojito, Zayas-diet coke, with that ubiquitous funny aftertaste.
For peerless Cervantes recordings, seek out Frank Fernández (OK records-Cuban disc), or Nohema Fernández incomparable one on Protone. For Lecuona-there's only one choice: Tirino's Complete series on BIS records. Period. Don't forget to get Lecuona's own RCA recording for an important reference as well.
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