Solis Dornan came out all-pistons-firing for this performance, his first full-length recital at Oberlin. He’d prepared a large number of disparate pieces, creating a varied and interesting listen for the audience. And his handling of the material was confident and impressive. (Full program at the end of the post).

Solis Dornan on stage in Fairchild Chapel

An expressive and convincing interpretation of Mertz’s Liebeslied got things going, with the 7th string on his Michael Thames guitar, tuned to low C, providing a depth we seldom hear in that piece. It was followed by two Lauro waltzes, played clearly, at blistering tempi.

Bennet’s Five Impromptus were next, harnessing the excellent ambient room sound that Fairchild Chapel offers so invitingly. In a pattern of contrasts which Solis sustained throughout the program, he turned next to music of Sainz de la Maza; his tender reading of the famous Campanas del Alba was a program highlight.

Solis closed his first half with two movements from Bach’s 2nd Cello Suite. His Courante, blindingly fast while both loud and sure, raised eyebrows. He returned to the stage with a solid and convincing variations set of Giuliani, followed by a pop-song-styled work of Yamandu Costa which he played with great care.

Finally, he offered a beautiful performance of the Ravel favorite, Pavane pour un Infante Défunte, a complex arrangement which he handled deftly. Solis closed the program with an old favorite, the Pernambuco Sons de Carrilhões, a work he presented richly embellished with numerous variants and flourishes. The audience loved it.