Jesus Garcia Leoz: Father of Spanish Film Music (Violin Sonata & Piano Works)

In recent years the acclaimed Italian pianist Rinaldo Zhok has been living in the musically fertile region of Navarre, Spain, where he has been fascinated to discover the music of composer Jesus García Leoz (1904-1953). Living in this region has given Rinaldo Zhok access to scores he might not otherwise have encountered, and before long he was engrossed in the Royal and General Archive of Navarre, poring over music by a composer who endured the Spanish Civil War to write numerous dazzling film scores. It was inevitable that, having got to know Jesus García Leoz’s film music, Rinaldo Zhok would seek out pieces that he himself could perform. He discovered a wealth of refined and vibrant chamber works for solo piano and for piano and violin, a selection of which is presented on this exceptional disc. Rinaldo Zhok has been an Odradek artist since 2013; his debut disc, of Liszt’s transcriptions of music by Verdi, was released to critical acclaim, receiving praise from Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, among others. In 2014 he and Artur Pizarro formed a piano duo, releasing an outstanding disc of Dvorák’s music together on Odradek. Rinaldo Zhok is joined on this disc by violinist Lilia Donkova, who was born and studied in Sofia before graduating from the Royal Academy of Music. Currently studying for her doctorate in Portugal, Lilia Donkova has performed internationally as a chamber musician in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre.