Daniil Trifonov – 'Mi Historia Americana: Sur' review: piano journey through Latin America
After his North America album, the pianist turns to South America and the Caribbean – with Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, two premiere recordings and a tango of his own.
Photo: Steven Pisano (Feast of Music) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Single video: YouTube · Deutsche Grammophon · youtube.com
Single: Ginastera: Milonga op. 3 Nr. 1
Daniil Trifonov released the double album 'Mi Historia Americana: Sur' on Deutsche Grammophon on 2 October, the companion to 'My American Story: North' from two years ago. The programme ranges from Ary Barroso's 'Aquarela do Brasil' via Alberto Ginastera's Second Piano Sonata and Heitor Villa-Lobos' 'Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4' to pieces by Michel Camilo, Rafael Landestoy and Ernesto Lecuona. Premiere recordings include Gabriela Lena Frank's 'Sonata Andina' and 'Cuadros del Sur' by Osvaldo Golijov and Gonzalo Grau; the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra plays under Grau's direction. There is also a tango by Trifonov himself.
According to Trifonov, the idea came about when he and his family were stuck in the Dominican Republic for months during the COVID pandemic. Writing for The Classic Review, Azusa Ueno calls the album a highly intriguing, enjoyable and finely rendered programme, refreshing and musically informative. The review singles out the slow movement 'Adagio sereno' and calls Landestoy's 'El vals de Santo Domingo' simply charming.
The video shows Trifonov's recording of Ginastera's 'Milonga', Op. 3 No. 1, which is also on the album, from the Deutsche Grammophon YouTube channel.