The fourth volume in Marco Polo's survey of Guatemalan composers focuses on the piano music of Ricardo Castillo (1894-1966). Don't solely judge Castillo's aesthetic from the six lightweight, salon-ish sections opening the disc. Play these later. Go first to the evocative multi-movement Preludes, Poème Pastoral, or Guatemala, Serie de impresiones. It is in these works that Castillo's own voice emerges with gentle authority, running an accessible gamut from spartan, single-line thumbnail sketches to the fetchingly bitonal toccata opening the Suite en Re. Massimiliano Damerini plays best when his hands are kept busy, but his fidgety rubato in the two Barcarolles and three Nocturnes has a slightly hesitant quality that prevents the music from flowing as freely as it should. The recorded sound is full and resonant, if a little too clangorous for my taste. But don't take my piddling reservations to heart. If you have a yen to explore some delightful, unpretentious, and virtually unknown piano music, you'll certainly enjoy this disc. I know I'll return to it often.
