Abraham Tena Manrique: Complete Works For Piano Solo (2004-2019) – Abraham Tena Manrique

The present recording offers a comprehensive collection of piano works spanning 15 years, revealing the unique and deeply personal musical language of Tena Manrique. His compositions have garnered admiration from peers for their refusal to conform to trends, reflecting an unequivocally personal artistic proposition. Manrique’s dedication to tonality and traditional musical values sets him apart in an era where avant-garde experimentation prevails. This staunch defense of harmonic structure, melody, development, and other aspects rarely seen in modern music showcases his unwavering commitment to preserving these fundamental elements.
Manrique’s compositions for the piano demonstrate a distinct pianistic quality that has intrigued fellow pianists. Over the course of his forty-year relationship with the instrument, he skillfully exploits its possibilities. Notably, his work eschews gratuitous virtuosity often found in piano compositions, instead prioritizing other captivating aspects of the instrument. While moments of virtuosity do arise, they are always in service of the music, advancing the musical narrative and expressing emotion, a core objective that defines Manrique’s entire body of work. His compositions serve as a heartfelt expression of emotion through music, a language that resonated with him from the earliest stages of his existence.