Tres: Best of Paz del Castillo

Paz del Castillo is a pianist from Spain who is gaining world recognition for her playing and original compositions. This album includes a few songs from a previous album that was only circulated to her regional audience, as well as a number of new tracks.

The songs are inspired by various aspects of her life - her family , friends, pets and animals, nature, emotions, and places close and distant. Castillo is good at creating songs that reflect her feelings about her topic, the mood of the time or place. Her renditions show tremendous sensitivity to the piano and an ability to explore the piano's gigantic range of expression. The music has attractive melodies and a constantly changing use of different textures, volumes, and harmonic combinations to keep the sounds fresh and engaging.

While Castillo is from Spain, this songs aren't particularly Latin-style in sound. This music is neo-classical, which means that it draws from the harmonic and melodic legacy of classical compositions. She also draws to some extent on more contemporary pop-styles with her melodic content.

For those who are seeking a new solo pianist producing original creations, Paz de Castillo is a fine performer with a good ear and a confident touch on the instrument. This is a lovely album that shows her range of musical ideas and demonstrates that she possesses the exceptional talent to express those ideas.

~review by Elizabeth Hazel

Artist: Paz del Castillo
Borderline Music 2018
13 tracks, 54 minutes
CD $13.90, mp3 $12.00