In 1977, Decca released an LP entitled ‘Concertos from Spain’ which coupled two contemporary piano concertos – one by Montsalvatge (‘Concerto Breve’, written for Alicia de Larrocha) and the other, Surinach’s Piano Concerto. The Surinach recording – he was a kind of Spanish Khachaturian – has never before been released on CD. Taking advantage of the extended playing time of a CD, this release includes two other concertante works for piano and orchestra – Turina’s ‘Rapsodia sinfonica’ (made famous by Eileen Joyce) and the ‘Rapsodia espanola’ by a composer synonymous with de Larrocha, Albeniz.
ISAAC ALBÉNIZ
Rapsodia española (arr. Cristóbal Halffter)
JOAQUÍN TURINA
Rapsodia sinfónica, Op. 66
XAVIER MONTSALVATGE
Concerto Breve for Piano & Orchestra
CARLOS SURINACH
Concerto for Piano & Orchestra
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra [1-2]
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra [3-4]
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Recording producers: Michael Haas (Albéniz, Turina); Michael Woolcock (Montsalvatge, Surinach)
Recording engineers: Stanley Goodall (Albéniz, Turina); Philip Wade (Montsalvatge, Surinach)
Recording locations: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, July 1983 (Albéniz, Turina); Kingsway Hall, London, October 1976 (Montsalvatge, Surinach)
‘Vintage Larrocha … the performances are spectacular, the sonics are terrific … the ultimate 20th-century Spanish piano concerto collection’ 10/10 ClassicsToday.com
‘Larrocha lives up to her reputation as the foremost interpreter of Spanish piano music by mastering the solo challenges with ease and brilliance’ Limelight
‘All the performances are exceptional’ MusicWeb