Piano Recital: Fan, Joel - NAZARETH, E. / GOTTSCHALK, L.M. / PIAZZOLLA, A. / GIN

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.

Performance ****½ Sound ****½

"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

"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

"Fan is hardly a child prodigy. Despite his youthful looks he is now 40, and he has a lot of playing time behind him. That experience explains his awesome musicianship, but also his natural sensitivity to the emotional side of music, and control of fine nuances... The sound is clearer and more detailed than if one had good seats to a concert."

Gerard Rejskind - Ultra High Fidelity (Canada)

Artistic Quality 10 Sound Quality 10

"[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

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Piano Recital: Fan, Joel - NAZARETH, E. / GOTTSCHALK, L.M. / PIAZZOLLA, A. / GINASTERA, A. / VILLA-LOBOS, H. / BEACH, A. (West of the Sun)

Joel Fan

Instrumental

Piano Recital: Fan, Joel - NAZARETH, E. / GOTTSCHALK, L.M. / PIAZZOLLA, A. / GINASTERA, A. / VILLA-LOBOS, H. / BEACH, A. (West of the Sun)

ERNESTO NAZARETH

Vem ca, Branquinha

LOUIS MOREAU GOTTSCHALK

Suis-moi! (Follow Me! Vamos a la azotea), Op. 45

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA

3 Preludes

ALBERTO GINASTERA

Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS

Choros No. 5, "Alma brasileira"

AMY BEACH

4 Sketches, Op. 15

MARGARET ALLISON BONDS

Troubled Water

WILLIAM BOLCOM

9 Bagatelles

SAMUEL BARBER

Piano Sonata, Op. 26