Like Wagner, Granados frequently uses self-quotation and thematic references, linking harmonies and melodic motifs with specific dramatic events, giving a Wagnerian flavor to works like María del Carmen.
Composition History
Enrique Granados's opera, María del Carmen, was his first great operatic success and the work he considered his best opera.
Composer Biography
Enrique Granados, along with Isaac Albéniz and Manuel de Falla, is considered the most important Spanish composer of his time.
Critical Reception
The opera's appearance in Barcelona was met with protests from pro-Catalanista audiences who were indignant that Granados had used a Castilian plot and music.
Recording & Production
This recording of María del Carmen was made during performances at the Theatre Royal, Wexford, Ireland, in October 2003.
Critical Reception
María del Carmen was very well received at its 1898 premiere in Madrid, running for nineteen performances and earning Granados the Charles III Cross.
Compositional Technique
Granados's music often repeats melodies from different perspectives rather than developing them, adding increasingly brilliant decoration to each repetition.
