Turina: Tres Poemas Op. 81

A deeply seductive album of Spanish songs by composers including Granados and Turina, performed by the young Spanish soprano Sylvia Schwartz, whose commitment to this repertoire is described above, and is evident from her utterly enchanting performances.

A work from Granados’ Goyescas, perhaps more familiar in the piano version, opens the programme, which continues with Tonadillas en estilo antiguo, a set also inspired by the paintings of Goya and in which this soprano demonstrates her wonderful emotional and dramatic range. The folk-influenced set of songs by Guridi is a beautiful series of Castillan melodies, creatively transcribed by the composer with aplomb. The recital is completed by works by Turina, Toldrá and Montsalvage, including the latter’s universally popular ‘Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito’.

Joaquín Turina’s songs are little-known today, but not only was he part of an important and influential group of early twentieth-century Spanish composers such as Albéniz, Falla and Granados, he possessed a beautiful and individual compositional style. This can be heard clearly in these songs, which range from the ethereal Ave María, with its exquisite piano accompaniment and transcendent vocal line, to the joyfully exuberant Las locas.