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Miniatura para Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Preludio para la Cuna Vaciá
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Nostalgia
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonatina Rítmica
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Cinco Miniaturas para Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Variaciones para la Segunda Miniatura
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Neuve Preludios
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonata Breve
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Tres Piececillas para Alina
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Five New Preludes for Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonata for Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Tres Meditaciones Poéticas
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
“The long-lived Roque Cordero (1917–2008) is Panama’s most famous composer. He is not spectacularly represented on the Fanfare Archive, it has to be said, so to have a full twofer devoted exclusively to his piano music, in uniformly superb performances, feels like a luxury indeed.… It is lovely when recording projects can bring music to the public for the first time, as here…It is certainly the world’s loss up to now regarding the brilliant Miniatura of 1941.…The Preludio para la Cuna Vacia (Prelude for the Empty Cradle) marked a return to composition after a four-year hiatus and is a charming, gently rocking lullaby; Vietnamese-American pianist Tuyen Tonnu clearly not only understands the idiom but also feels it deeply.…It shows real thought into how to present this music that there is a more extended gap between Nostalgia and the Sonatina Rítmica, the first work that could be described in any way as extended on this conspectus. There’s no missing the inherent life in the Sonatina Rítmica (1943), and Tuyen Tonnu is a fabulously equipped performer; her tone can sing, too, as the central Adagietto shows. Tonnu places the slowly pulsing element perfectly, and note how the piece is characterized by its cross-handed writing.… It’s a rather nice happenstance that the final work here, the three Tres Meditaciones Poéticas, written in 1995, is also deliciously reflective. While these pieces have some scrunchier moments, perhaps the most touching is the central Adagio angoscioso (slow and grieving), inspired by a New Year’s Eve vision of his deceased sister, Natividad, dancing joyfully in the street. Heartbreakingly tender, it is this of all the music on this release that is impossible to forget, and Tonnu traces the pieces’ shapes marvelously.…” (Fanfare)
The complete output for solo piano by Roque Cordero is performed by Tuyen Tonnu.
Roque Cordero is universally acknowledged as Panama's finest composer. He was, in addition, an impassioned educator, writer, and conductor whose accomplishments were honored with numerous awards and commissions. His frequent and enthusiastic participation in international music festivals and organizations gave him a prominent place in the community of Latin American composers during the second half of the 20th century. Cordero's output comprises more than 80 compositions, the majority for chamber ensemble or orchestra. Vietnamese-American pianist Tuyen Tonnu offers Cordero's complete output for solo piano on this 2-CD set. She is known for her sensitive command of timbral color, singing lyricism, and striking style. She has graced the world's stages with solo and chamber music concerts in the U.S. as well as Asia and Europe. Dr. Tonnu is on the faculty at Illinois State University.Contents:
Roque Cordero, composerMiniatura para Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Preludio para la Cuna Vaciá
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Nostalgia
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonatina Rítmica
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Cinco Miniaturas para Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Variaciones para la Segunda Miniatura
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Neuve Preludios
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonata Breve
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Tres Piececillas para Alina
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Five New Preludes for Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Sonata for Piano
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Roque Cordero, composer
Tres Meditaciones Poéticas
Tuyen Tonnu (piano)
Review:
"…One would think that, since he [Roque Cordero] is a Panamanian composer of considerable skill and imagination, people agitating for more people of color to be represented in today's music scene might champion his work…At least Tuyen Tonnu, an associate professor at Illinois State University, believes in the music and has the skill necessary to realize it effectively and inspirationally.…Professor Tonnu…performs Cordero with considerable authority and verve.…" (American Record Guide)“The long-lived Roque Cordero (1917–2008) is Panama’s most famous composer. He is not spectacularly represented on the Fanfare Archive, it has to be said, so to have a full twofer devoted exclusively to his piano music, in uniformly superb performances, feels like a luxury indeed.… It is lovely when recording projects can bring music to the public for the first time, as here…It is certainly the world’s loss up to now regarding the brilliant Miniatura of 1941.…The Preludio para la Cuna Vacia (Prelude for the Empty Cradle) marked a return to composition after a four-year hiatus and is a charming, gently rocking lullaby; Vietnamese-American pianist Tuyen Tonnu clearly not only understands the idiom but also feels it deeply.…It shows real thought into how to present this music that there is a more extended gap between Nostalgia and the Sonatina Rítmica, the first work that could be described in any way as extended on this conspectus. There’s no missing the inherent life in the Sonatina Rítmica (1943), and Tuyen Tonnu is a fabulously equipped performer; her tone can sing, too, as the central Adagietto shows. Tonnu places the slowly pulsing element perfectly, and note how the piece is characterized by its cross-handed writing.… It’s a rather nice happenstance that the final work here, the three Tres Meditaciones Poéticas, written in 1995, is also deliciously reflective. While these pieces have some scrunchier moments, perhaps the most touching is the central Adagio angoscioso (slow and grieving), inspired by a New Year’s Eve vision of his deceased sister, Natividad, dancing joyfully in the street. Heartbreakingly tender, it is this of all the music on this release that is impossible to forget, and Tonnu traces the pieces’ shapes marvelously.…” (Fanfare)