Espona: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Featuring

Melani Mestre
Manuel Espona

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Compositional Technique

Manuel Espona's keyboard works are unique, moving beyond the typical Italian-influenced tradition of the early 18th century through original musical discourse, key choices, modulations, and elaborate ornamentation.

Composer Biography

Manuel Espona was a leading composer at Montserrat and shared the post of maestro de capilla (chapel master) of its renowned Escolania (school for choristers).

Historical Context

The Monastery of Montserrat, where composer Manuel Espona lived and worked, was a major center for musical study and practice in 18th-century Spain.

Compositional Technique

All of Manuel Espona's 27 keyboard sonatas are single-movement works in binary form, reflecting the legacy of the Scarlatti era, and are characterized by a galant style with moments of virtuosity and lyricism.

Recording & Production

This album features world premiere recordings of Manuel Espona's complete piano sonatas, which were previously neglected due to a lack of information about the composer and his output.

Composer Biography

Manuel Espona (1714-1779) was born in Sant Feliu de Torelló, Catalonia, and died at the Monastery of Montserrat, where he had been an acolyte and later took holy orders.

Composer Biography

Manuel Espona's pupil, Antoni Soler (1729-83), became one of the greatest Spanish composers of his day, creating an immense catalogue of keyboard works.