Rio played his Sophomore Recital only last fall, so his window for the preparation of this program was quite short. (See his Freshman Recital here). Still, he managed to assemble an impressive array of disparate concert works. The two largest pieces on the program, works by Ponce and Brouwer, were significantly more challenging than his previous pieces. Still, he presented them with confidence and enthusiasm, and the audience loved it. (Full program at the end of the post).

Rio Manzanares on stage in Fairchild Chapel.

He kicked off the proceedings with a beautiful variations set by Fernando Sor. Inspired as he was by Manuel Barrueco’s recording of the piece, he brought some of the master’s tone and pacing to his performance.

A pair of Sonatas by Scarlatti was then followed by Ponce’s sunny Sonata Meridional. Rio clearly has much affection for this music, as his presentation was focused and spirited.

He finished with a Brouwer masterwork, Rito de los Orishas, a complex and challenging piece which introduced some wonderful colors and textures to the concert.