This album includes an Improvisación sobre la jota valenciana, transcribed from a piano roll recording made by Granados himself in New York in 1916.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Granados's music is multi-faceted, essentially Romantic with some Nationalist characteristics, and he was described as 'the Spanish Chopin' and 'our Schubert' by his compatriots.
Composition History
The Danzas españolas, Granados's first masterpiece, brought him international recognition after their publication following his return to Barcelona in 1889.
Performer Biography
Douglas Riva, the pianist on this recording, is the Assistant Director of the eighteen-volume critical edition of the Complete Works for Piano of Enrique Granados.
Compositional Technique
Unlike Edvard Grieg in his Norwegian Peasant Dances, Granados did not use actual folk themes in his Danzas españolas, instead sublimating Spanish characteristics into his personal musical style.
Critical Reception
The Danzas españolas were highly praised by composers such as Massenet, Saint-Saëns, and Grieg, with César Cui calling them 'exquisite'.
Composer Biography
Enrique Granados, the composer, died tragically when the British ship Sussex, on which he and his wife were sailing, was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1916.
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