Artur Pizarro (piano) Linn Records CKD 355 (2 CDs) ****

Too many notes, said the Emperor to Mozart. What might he have said, then, to Albéniz or Granados, whose

Iberia

and

Goyescas

challenge players to create clarity out of tumult? Some pianists glory in the brilliant and heavy sonorities.

Lisbon-born Artur Pizarro, however, has chosen to record these quintessential Spanish works on a brand-new Blüthner piano, which, he feels, gives “a certain period sound without the physical frailty and frustrations of a period piano”.

Pizarro’s lightness and his sometimes very tautly sprung rhythms are a real pleasure.

The Blüthner

allows him to present the main material in relief without the need for heavy emphasis, so that the sheer density of the writing, which can so easily become an obstacle, doesn’t fatigue the ear. Others may find more urgency and passion in these works. But Pizarro is beguiling in his own way.

See linnrecords.com.