“Alicia de Larrocha, who has always been in a class of her own as an interpreter of Spanish music offers a selection from Albéniz’s piano works apart from Iberia. Some music here is familiar-the ultra-famous Tango, the brilliant Seguidillas, the Falla-like Aragón and the Sevilla (from Suite Española), or the Asturias in Cantos de España but there are good things which are less known. High among these I would put the Zambra Granadina, a gipsy dance with augmented seconds, the melancholy and subtle Mallorca (superbly played here), and Zaragoza, whose luminous virtuosity forecasts the style of Iberia. If you want to know how this music should be played, the right kind of cantabile, or tonal nuances, the amount of rubato it will take, listen to de Larrocha’s performances.”
— Gramophone
“A stimulating example of the younger de Larrocha playing with enormous dash and a glowing palette.”
— Penguin Guide
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, several Spanish composers rose to prominence drawing on a combination of the broader European Romantic movement and the music of their native land. One of the most important of these composers was Isaac Albéniz, a gifted pianist who studied with Franz Liszt. His music not only inspired a new generation of Spanish composers but also Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, who came to know him during Albéniz’s extended stay in France.
Spanish virtuoso Alicia de Larrocha was one of the later 20th century’s most popular pianists in concert and on record. Her large repertoire ranged from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven through Rachmaninov, Ravel, Prokofiev, and of course the great composers of her native Spain. Before she became an international favourite through her Decca recordings, she made a series of recordings for the Spanish label Hispavox during the late 1950s and early 1960s. These recordings received unanimous praise from critics around the world.
Parnassus Records is pleased to release a selection drawn from her recordings of Isaac Albéniz’s colorful piano music, newly remastered by Paul Arden-Taylor.
