Spanish Piano Concertos

Featuring

Melani Mestre
Natalia Borysiuk
Orquesta Filarmonía Ibérica
Manuel Narro
Marianne Martinez
José Palomino

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Composition History

José Palomino's Violin Concerto may have been plagiarized by two of his contemporaries, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Fernando Sor.

Composer Biography

Mariana Martinez had a brilliant career as a harpsichordist and singer, performing for Austrian royalty and even playing four-hands with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who dedicated works to her.

Composition History

The Spanish piano concertos on this album are world premiere recordings, having taken over 200 years to come to light.

Interpretation

The performers have chosen to play these 18th and early 19th-century concertos on a modern piano, a common practice that does not detract from the composers' original style.

Historical Context

The scarcity of Spanish keyboard concertos from the 18th and early 19th centuries is attributed to a near-absence of orchestras, orchestral music's subordination to ecclesiastical purposes, and the loss of manuscripts.

Composer Biography

Mariana Martinez, a Spanish-descended composer born in Vienna, was a neighbor of Franz Joseph Haydn and took lessons from Nicola Porpora.

Performer Biography

Pianist and conductor Melani Mestre is a direct heir to the Catalan Piano Tradition of Enrique Granados, having studied with disciples of Frank Marshall.