Albeniz, I.: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 6

Featuring

Lü Jia
Miguel Baselga
Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife
Isaac Albéniz

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Albéniz's true style, resolutely Spanish with bold harmonic and coloristic touches, emerged after he moved to France in 1894, influenced by composers like Debussy.

Composition History

The piece Navarra was intended for Albéniz's famous Iberia suite, but he considered it "scandalously lame" and excluded it.

Composition History

Albéniz's early works, such as the Suite ancienne No. 3 and Piano Sonata No. 5, were often composed for the aristocratic salons of Madrid, influencing their tasteful and restrained style.

Performer Biography

Miguel Baselga, the pianist on this album, is acclaimed for his focus on Spanish repertoire and has been praised for his prodigious talent, with one critic noting his arrangement of Ravel's La Valse was "beyond the reach of most."

Recording & Production

This album features the world premiere recording of the original orchestration of Albéniz's Rapsodia Española, edited by Jacinto Torres, and a world premiere recording of Navarra completed by Pilar Bayona.

Interpretation

For this recording, pianist Miguel Baselga chose a performance version of Navarra by Spanish pianist Pilar Bayona (1897-1979), which he believes "corresponds entirely with Albéniz's style," over other completions.

Composer Biography

Isaac Albéniz, the composer, attached little importance to his earliest compositions, calling them his "little obscenities" and showing no interest in their fate.