Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos’s 1965–66 recording of Spanish orchestral favourites was a huge success in its time, not only for the orchestra and conductor’s sense of colour, flamboyance and rhythmic acuity, but also for the sheer panoramic sound-spectrum with the fabled ‘Decca Sound’. Bringing together works both Spanish in origin as well as of Spanish flavour (the two Ravels), it is an orchestral portrait of Spain. Nearly twenty years after this recording was made, Frühbeck de Burgos returned to the studio, to pair up with Alicia de Larrocha in her second (now digital) recording of Nights in the Gardens of Spain, here coupled with the conductor’s Spanish analogue release.
MANUEL DE FALLA
Noches en los jardines de España
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
El amor brujo
Nati Mistral, contralto
ENRIQUE GRANADOS
Intermezzo (from Goyescas)
MAURICE RAVEL
Pavane pour une infant défunte
Alborada del gracioso
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Recording producers: Ray Minshull (Falla: El amor brujo, Granados, Ravel); Michael Haas (Falla: Noches en los jardines de España)
Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson (Falla: El amor brujo, Granados, Ravel); Stanley Goodall (Falla: Noches en los jardines de España)
Recording Locations: Kingsway Hall, London, UK, 17–18 May 1965 & 22 Aug 1966 (Falla: El amor brujo, Granados, Ravel); Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, UK, 5, 7 & 8 July 1983 (Falla: Noches en los jardines de España)
‘an imaginative and effective performance of El amor brujo … superbly recorded … The beautiful Granados Intermezzo from his opera Goyescas is charged with atmosphere in this performance and is played most feelingly … Alborada, with the crisp rhythms of the woodwind solos is indeed a success. And recorded as brilliantly as it is, this is a winner.’ (Frühbeck de Burgos – Falla, Granados, Ravel) Gramophone
‘beautifully clean and fresh … the warm acoustic is put to excellent use. The texture is open and there is an agreeable bloom on the strings.’ (Falla: Noches en los jardines de España) Gramophone