Cat No. | SP1188 |
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Price | £9.95 |
Composer | Frederico Ruiz |
Editor | Clara Rodriguez |
Category | Piano Solo |
Publisher | Spartan Press |
ISMN | 979-0-57998-188-6 |
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EAN-13 | 9790579981886 |
Weight | 156 grams |
Published | 12th June 2012 |
Availability | In Print |
The music can generally be described as a blend of folk-like melodies and Latin flavours with occasional forays into a more impressionistic soundworld.
Pianist Magazine
...The charming little Peruanita (The Little Peruvian Girl) will be one of the most popular 2013-14 List C choices and deservedly so. This book proves that Mr Ruiz is not a one-trick pony as there are 14 more pieces in this clever fusion of Latin and Caribbean rhythms and styles...Spartan press is to be applauded for yet again spotting and promoting piano music from outside the established and known names.
Fiona Lau for Music Teacher Magazine
...Altogether this is a lively, imaginative and witty set.
Jonathan Woolf
...The quintessential musical flavour of these pieces needs to be savoured by all Intermediate piano students who will find much to enjoy while discovering music from another continent...no doubt many more festival and examination syllabusses will begin to feature these irresistible pieces!
Piano Journal
Pianist Clara Rodríguez, a fervent proponent of Latin-American piano music, is a close collaborator with contemporary Venezuelan composer Federico Ruiz.
Two pieces on the disc were written for the pianist: Tropical Triptych and Nocturne. Instantly, the opening Merengue places us geographically, at least in terms of continent. Rodríguez projects the infectious rhythms well and the work is a satisfying length. Ruiz clearly has a pronounced sense of humour, given the title of his pieces for 'children'(of less than 100 years). There is great charm to these pieces, and Rodríguez plays them with great affection. The expert pastiche of the Charlie Chaplin movement is a highlight, but it is Rodríguez's convincing way with the bitter-sweet elements of this music that marks her as on home territory.
The more exploratory music not only provides contrast but gives us a hint of Ruiz's scope. The Nocturne is more chromatic and probes deeper, while the Micro-Suite is dodecaphonic. It sounds like Schoenberg but operates on a Webernian timeframe, which makes it all the more intriguing (the Passacaglia is the longest movement, at just over a minute).
The Tropical Triptych puts the disc back on course with 15 minutes of liquid sunshine. Rodríguez plays the ornaments most fetchingly in the first movement, while the finale heralds a heady mix of conga, salsa and spiritual. This latter movement is compositionally as well as technically virtuoso, mixing more advanced writing harmonies with appealing rhythms. Highly recommended
Review of Clara's CD by Colin Clarke, International Piano
There is humour, infectious rhythms and great charm to these pieces
International Piano