Nazareth: Vem cá, Branquinha
Beach: Fire-flies, Op. 15 #4
Bolcom: Nine New Bagatelles
West of the Sun: Music of the Americas
Joel Fan’s Second Solo Album
Joel Fan’s second album for Reference Recordings, further solidifies his reputation for innovative programming and dazzling keyboard technique. Drawing on composers from North and South America, Fan makes brilliant work of major sonatas by Ginastera and Barber, along with “entertainments” by Gottschalk, Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos. Of particular interest are two little-known works by Amy Beach and the African-American composer Margaret Bonds. Another highlight is the world premiere recording of a recent suite by William Bolcom! Any piano enthusiast will enjoy this wide-ranging recital, recorded at Skywalker Sound by RR’s renowned technical guru, “Prof.” Keith O. Johnson.
“[Fan] offers nine stunningly brilliant renditions drawn from a wide range of styles and sources… Capping it all off is an arresting interpretation of Samuel Barber’s fearsome 1949 Piano Sonata. Wow.” —John Terauds, Toronto Star — [Artistic Quality:10, Sound Quality 10] — Complete Review
“Fan is just marvelous… A well—curated, excellently engineered program of this caliber warrants our highest recommendation.” —Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com — [Artistic Quality:10, Sound Quality 10] — Complete Review
“Fan’s piano textures are worth hearing in themselves, for he is an exceptionally fluent, lyrical player with a fine sense of mystery in the slow movements of the piano sonatas by Ginastera and Barber… The result is a program that alternates very gracefully between simpler and more complicated pieces; the music almost seems to breathe and ruminate on the nature of Americanness… With fine engineering, this is a masterful performance.” —All Music Guide — (****1/2 performance/****1/2 sound) — Complete Review (also named “Best Classical Releases of 2009”)
“Fan’s rendition of Barber’s technically challenging sonata, whose knockout last movement was written at the insistence of Vladimir Horowitz, is the performance by which most listeners will judge his achievement. He acquits himself wonderfully, even when compared to Horowitz and speed demon Marc—Andre Hamelin. The adagio is especially touching, and becomes more moving with repeated listening.” —Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice — Complete Review
“His playing was the picture of textural clarity… The program’s highlight was the New York premiere of William Bolcom’s Nine New Bagatelles, a set of aphoristic, vividly drawn character pieces… Mr. Fan gave it an agile reading, with delicacy and heft carefully balanced.” —Allan Kozinn, The New York Times (about the CD release recital, 4/2009)
“He has thus created an album with more programming innovation than most such piano recitals. The composers include Gottschalk, Piazzolla, Ginastera, Villa—Lobos, Beach, Bolcom and Barber and none of the selections are overplayed “hits” of those composers either…The label’s recording engineer Keith O. Johnson used the low—noise—floor Skywalker Sound studio in the Bay Area, and the piano sound is very rich and natural against a silent background. Joel’s own program notes in the booklet are interesting reading.” —John Sunier, Audiophile Audition — Complete Review — (*****)
West of the Sun Track Listing
Nazareth: Vem cá, Branquinha; Gottschalk: Suis Moi! Caprice; Piazzolla: Flora’s Game — Milonga Prelude; Ginastera: Piano Sonata #1; Villa—Lobos: Chôros No. 5, “Alma Brasileira”; Beach: Fire—flies, Op. 15 #4; Bonds: Troubled Water; Bolcom: Nine New Bagatelles; (“…and then what happened?”); (…what happened); (…a bird comments–to another bird?) 0:55 14 (…Lord Lovell’s trunk); (…a little story); (…take no prisoners); (…valse oubliable); (…benediction); (…pavane for the dead/hope’s feathers); Barber: Piano Sonata, Op. 26