Claude Debussy wrote of Albéniz: ‘Never has music attained such diverse impressions and colors. One closes one’s eyes and is dazzled by contemplating so many images.’ Iberia certainly fits this description beyond doubt, with its vivid evocation of Spain. Composed between 1905 and 1909, the collection is divided into four books, each containing three pieces. Book I opens with ‘Évocation’, which combines the southern Spanish fandango with jota song forms. ‘El Puerto’ was inspired by El Puerto de Santa María, in Cádiz, whilst ‘Fête-dieu à Séville’ depicts the Corpus Christi Day procession. ‘Rondeña’ and then ‘Almería’ are both depictions of Andalusian towns, and are followed by ‘Triana’, which evokes the Gypsy quarter of Seville.
Goyescas, begun in 1909, reflects Granados’s admiration for the paintings of Goya. (Granados went on to compose an opera of the same name). Considered by many to be Granados’s masterpiece, the suite for piano comprises two books and was completed in 1911.
The collections by Albéniz and Granados are truly virtuosic pieces, placing extreme demands on the pianist. Peter Donohoe makes light work of the challenges, and presents his selection in deeply musical readings that are typical of this supreme artist. The album was recorded on a Steinway model D concert grand piano at Potton Hall, in Suffolk.
