The seventh volume in this acclaimed series is devoted to two works of Albéniz’s early maturity. The 12 Piezas características is a cycle of exquisite miniatures encompassing a wide variety of styles, including the assimilation of Andalusian folk music into his own personal idiom, reminiscences of earlier greats such as Scarlatti and Chopin, and elements of nineteenth century salon music. The work led Felipe Pedrell, the father of Spanish musical nationalism, to call Albéniz not only a superbly equipped pianist but a great composer as well. The romantic and virtuosic Piano Sonata No. 3 opens with a richly contrapuntal Allegretto, followed by a slow movement of the utmost delicacy in the manner of a romanza and concludes with a technically complex Allegro assai.
This is volume seven in this critically-admired series. It is devoted to the work of Albéniz’s early maturity – both works were written when he was around 28. The Piezas was particularly important as it was publically admired by Felipe Pedrell, the father of Spanish musical nationalism who prophesied a great career for Albeniz. The volumes of this series have been given to individual pianists. This sets it apart from the ongoing complete series, also issued on a disc-by-disc basis, performed by Miguel Baselga on BIS. He plays the Piezas on BIS923 (released in 2000) coupled with Iberia Book 1. The Sonata No.3 is on BIS1243 released in 2003 coupled with Iberia Book 4.
