Étude de Moscheles (Moscheles Étude) - 1906
Estudios de Concierto (Concert Studies)
20 Piezas Fáciles (20 Easy Pieces) - 1939
Vespertina (Evening Song) - 1909 *
Mayo (May) - 1903
Mazurka No. 19 in C sharp minor - 1917
Mazurka No. 23 in A minor - 1917
Bersagliera - 1903

* World Premiere Recording

The name of Mexican composer and educator Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) is well known and highly respected in guitar music circles. A high percentage of recordings featuring classical guitar music collections usually contain one or two of his pieces. Odd when you consider that he composed just as many pieces for orchestra, piano, and voice, and that he was primarily a piano teacher. His most famous work, Estrellita, originally written for voice and piano, became an overnight success after Jascha Heifetz arranged it for violin and piano, and gave it its American premiere in 1928.

Spanish pianist Álvaro Cendoya is on a mission to generate more interest in this composer's piano music, by being the first musician to record all of Manuel Ponce's output for the instrument, over a series of 8 volumes. The pieces presented here in Volume 3 of this complete cycle cover a wide range of styles and techniques. For example, the 20 Piezas Fáciles (20 Easy Pieces), which I assume were more than likely meant to be short exercises for his piano students, are based on Mexican folk songs and dances which would have been popular at the time. They are all like short little studies and/or variations meant to expand a pianist's touch and technique. One of the prime examples of this is Ponce's highly staccato take on the famous La Cucaracha (The Cockroach). Álvaro Cendoya well captures and projects each one's character, be it joyful or sad.

The Mazurkas present a more impassioned side of Manuel Ponce, very much in the highly expressive style of Chopin, but with an undoubtedly Spanish colour, whereas the Estudios de Concierto (Concert Studies) inflict technical demands on the pianist reminiscent of the music of Leopold Godowsky. And the world premiere recording on this CD, the Vespertina (Evening Song) reminds us that music need not be complicated to be evocative, especially when played here with the deepest expression by Álvaro Cendoya. If you enjoy piano music, consider making room in your collection for the unjustly overlooked piano music of Manuel Ponce.