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Isaac ALBENIZ (1860-1909)
Piano Music Vol. 7
Chant’s d’Espagne T101 (1892/97) [20:21]
6 Mazurkas de Salon T68 (1887) [19:20]
Deseo – estudio de concierto, T53 (c.1885) [8:01]
L’Automne Waltz, T96 (1890) [11:51]
Marcha Militar, T45 (c.1869) [2:01]
Improvisation, T115B (1903) [1:55]
Yvonne en Visite, T104 (1908) [6:14]
Miguel Baselga (piano)
rec. December 2010, Auditorio y palacio de congresos, Zaragoza,
Spain
BIS-CD-1953 [71:09]
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Isaac Albeniz needs little introduction to readers of these
pages. However, one important fact must always be borne in mind
when approaching his piano music. The oeuvre divides largely
into two main stylistic entities. The first of these are those
by which he has gained considerable fame – the Spanish works.
These include the great masterpieces such as Iberia
and España. However, there is a considerable body of
music that owes its being to the late nineteenth century corpus
of salon music. These early works often have little to do with
Spanish folk music and are more likely to nod to Chopin and
Liszt. Additionally there was a transitional phase when Albeniz
began to make use of the Spanish idiom from a largely parochial
standpoint. The present CD has examples of all three ‘periods’.
The earliest work on this disc is ‘Marcha Militar’ which dates
from around 1869. It is also the earliest of the composer’s
music to have survived. Albeniz was only nine years old when
he wrote it. There is a good tale told about the origins of
this work which the careful reader of the excellent liner-notes
will enjoy. It is not a bad little piece really, however it
hardly foretells what was to come from the composer’s pen.
Chronologically, the next work is Deseo - estudio
de concierto which was dedicated to the composer’s wife.
Franz Liszt and his Hungarian’s ‘Etudes de Concert’ and the
Fantasia après un lecture du Dante are almost certainly
the models for this highly virtuosic piece. Nevertheless, it
is hardly one of Albeniz’s best efforts and is well summed up
by the present pianist. He suggests that it is ‘a highly virtuosic
pianistic trifle’. It is well worth having for completeness;
however I doubt that it will gain a hold in the repertoire.
Deseo is translated as ‘desire’.
I have always loved the Mazurkas de Salon which balances
the commercial requirements of the salon and recital room with
the need to provide quality ‘teaching’ pieces. These six numbers
were written for the composer to use whilst teaching the daughters
of the wealthy. The original piano score of these delightful
numbers is reputed to have a cover picture showing visiting
cards with the corner turned down and bearing the name of the
dedicatees. The six young ladies were Isabel, Casilda, Aurora,
Sofia, Christa and Maria. It is fair to suggest that each of
these pieces was specially tailored to suit the personality
and the technical ability of these young ladies. From a musical
point of view, Chopin is never far away, however they are not
pastiche. Albeniz imbues each dance with a beauty and poignancy
that is entirely his own. They were composed around 1887.
Three years later, Albeniz presented the gorgeous L’Automne
Waltz. It would be easy to define this piece simply as
a reversion to ‘salon’ music, especially coming after some of
his ‘Spanish’ influenced pieces such as Recuerdos de viaje
and España. However there is nothing trivial about
this music. This is a waltz of the highest sophistication and
technical creativity. It is written in three sections, preceded
by a lugubrious introduction, with each section written in a
different key. The coda is impressive with lots of references
back to earlier material. It is a perfect example of why a work
of this type should be kept in the repertoire and not consigned
to history.
Ever since hearing my school-friend Alan Kitchen playing Cordoba
from the Chants d’Espagne, in 1971, I have wanted a
complete recording of this fine work. Strangely no recording
ever came my way. Nearly forty years on I have discovered a
version that moves, impresses and fulfils all my expectations
of the piece. I can battle my way through parts of this suite
on my piano; however there is nothing to beat a superb professional
recording.
The Cantos de España, to give the work its Spanish
title was originally conceived as a suite of three movements
– the Prelude, Orientale and Sous le Palmier.
These were published in 1892. In 1898 two further movements
were added Cordoba and Seguidillas. The liner-notes
sum up the work’s musical style with a quotation from Walter
Aaron Clark who wrote that ‘the suite represents the furthest
advance in Albeniz’s Spanish style to date in its seriousness,
harmonic richness, and formal variety’. The work has the sights,
sounds and location of Andalusia as its inspiration.
The opening Prelude is full of exuberance and excitement.
This is better-known in the version for guitar, however it sounds
well on the piano and the predominantly Flamenco sound of the
first and last sections mimics the guitar well. The Orientale,
in spite of its name, is based on tunes from Andalusia. This
is a moody piece in comparison to the preceding Prelude.
Sous le Palmier is written with the rhythm of the habañera,
which is a dance originating in Cuba. The piece balances good
humour with a touch of melancholy. Cordoba, which I
discovered all those years ago, is a little tone poem. It opens
with the sound of the bells of the town churches. This is followed
by a hymn. The spell is broken by an outburst of flamenco dancing
and a big romantic tune. The work closes with a reminiscence
of the hymn tune before concluding with a final dance. Seguidillas
is once again pure Andalusian folk music with the dance rhythms
being complemented by brief ‘coplas’.
Altogether a great work and a superb performance. I am glad
to say that my school friend is still making music both on the
piano and the organ. I am extremely grateful to him for introducing
me to Albeniz’s music.
The Improvisation is an interesting little piece. Only
published in 2009, it was transcribed by Milton Laufer from
a wax cylinder recorded by the composer in 1903. The work is
a short two-minute study of dance rhythms that the composer
was planning to use. It is a lively, vibrant piece of work that
explores syncopation, alternating rhythms and unison writing
in the manner of a recitative. The music of España
is called to mind. There were three improvisations recorded
and this present one is the first. So there are good things
to look forward to in subsequent volumes of Albeniz’s ‘complete’
piano music!
Yvonne en visite! is simply charming. It was composed
the year before the composer’s death and forms part of a collection
of pieces for ‘children young and old’ assembled by the professors
of the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Albeniz’s contribution was
a musical depiction of events in the life of Yvonne Guidé who
was the daughter of Guillaume Guidé, co-director of the Théâtre
de la Monnaie in Brussels. With a Satie-like commentary written
into the piano score the composer describes the visit of the
young pianist and her being made to perform in front of Albeniz.
The poor child is nervous and makes a number of mistakes. Her
mother becomes more and more annoyed with her and threatens
her with ten days of Hanon – which was a terrifying book of
piano exercises ‘popular’ at that time. The work is in two short
movements – La révérence and Joyeuse rencontre
et quelques pénibles événements (Joyful meeting and painful
events!).
I enjoyed this CD and would recommend it to all enthusiasts
of Isaac Albeniz’s piano music. It presents an excellent balance
of masterpieces, salon music of the very best quality and some
unknown quantities. The playing is superb. Miguel Baselga is
always sympathetic to this music – whether it is technically
difficult or within the grasp of Grade 6-ers like myself. He
is never condescending towards the Mazurkas and the Waltz and
plays them with attention and obvious love and enthusiasm. The
liner-notes written by Jean-Pascal Vachon are informative and
provide all the information required for a good understanding
of each of these pieces. The sound quality is excellent as would
be expected from BIS.
Finally, some of these pieces are recorded elsewhere, however
as far as I am aware, the Marcha, the Improvisation
and Deseo are not currently in the CD catalogues, apart
from the present disc. The other works have precious few recordings
available. This apparent lack of interest does not imply that
any of this music lacks quality, interest or inspiration: many
of these works are little masterpieces.
John France
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