Alberto Reyes
Acclaim
Verdi-Liszt review in Fanfare

Alberto Reyes, winged with flawless technique and the narrative instincts of the born raconteur, delivers the Verdi paraphrases with a suave opulence, uncluttered by extraneous associations, which is vivid yet detached - the ideal combination. If Arrau's traversal of the Verdi set from perhaps two decades ago (long deleted black disc Philips 6500 368) - the apt comparison - is occasionally spellbinding and rippled with wry wisdom, Reyes balances his accounts with a freshness of response and ease of gesture which are the more immediately appealing. That is, Reyes, in his mid-forties, is a master, if not quite an old master. He is not a flashy player, and in his hands Liszt's manner of conjuring and holding the Verdian pathos, eloquence, and stunning coups de theatre in a timelessly reflective moment, is managed with fluent grandeur, which seems all the more natural for never calling attention to itself. And that is to say that this album, gracefully introduced by Fanfare's Royal S. Brown, fills a conspicuous gap superbly. At moderate volume, the sound can seem, if transparent, slightly distant -open it a bit and it buxoms in a rich gutsiness appropiately couched in the spacious ambience of Tarrytown Music Hall. Enthusiastically recommended.

Adrian Corleonis, Fanfare
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