Falla: El Amor Brujo

A second anthology, from Praga Digitals, of Manuel de Falla’s masterpieces; in which he 'invented' modern Spanish music and also revived authentic songs, rhythms and dances out of an Andalusia both legendary and still alive. Only the concerto for harpsichord [written with Landowska in mind] in no way recalls Andalusia.

A tribute to such immortal performers as Victoria de los Angeles, Ernest Ansermet, Ataulfo Argenta and Alicia de Larrocha…

To the delightfully muddled, Marriage of Figaro-like plot of El amor brujo Ansermet brings an earthy sensuality and piquant wit. Ansermet recorded El sombrero del tres picos twice, and while the later recording with Teresa Berganza has rarely been out of the catalogue, this earlier mono 1952 recording with Suzanne Danco is rare and much sought-after, not only by Ansermet fans, but by fans of this wonderful Swiss singer, whose singing Ansermet once referred to as 'Appolonian'. The disc is completed with the Danza Espanola No. 1 from La vida breve and Ansermet gives the dance its due colours, while not neglecting its vague air of unease. The 1955 recording was made in both mono and stereo is extremely rare, and the stereo version, previously unpublished, appears here for the first time on CD.

Alison Teale has carefully selected the music on this new CD to illustrate the astonishing versatility of the cor anglais, not only its rich and beautiful melodic lines but also its power and extraordinary agility. Some pieces, such as Lucchetti’s Rock Song, push the boundaries of technique. Others, like Piazzolla’s Nightcub 1960, reveal the glorious upper register.

Works of Manuel de Falla - widely regarded as the most distinguished Spanish composer of the early twentieth century - are strongly influenced by Spanish folk music in which the guitar is central. Although he composed only one piece for that instrument his inspiration was flamenco and early Spanish music, including the guitar works of Gaspar Sanz. The guitar also features in Falla‘s first great success, the opera ‘La Vida Breve’. For this recording, we have selected and transcribed works in which the influence of the guitar was dominant thus translating these pieces back to their original source of inspiration. We felt that adding percussion would enhance the rhythmic element that is most characteristic for the music of Spain. We hope that showing De Falla’s work in this dynamic light will bring new audiences to his brilliant music.

Rythmic elements in exciting arrangements played by specialist DAVID GARCIA MIR.

Starring JUANITA LASCARRO, who made a spectacular British operatic debut as the heroine of Strauss' Daphne and continues to sing the coming season principal roles in many of the major European theatres.

"The twins Peter and Zoltán Katona have created a guitar duo noted for spirited interpretations, amazing virtuosity, and an uncanny ensemble that many attribute to their shared genetic heritage. The brothers from Budapest move and breathe together, and they mark changes of mood with an exchange of glances that highlights their musical decisions. And in their Saturday concert at Herbst Theatre, the Katona Twins united what had once seemed to be the irreconcilable opposites of Bream’s unbridled enthusiasm and Williams’ calm mastery. " SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE, 14 MARCH 2009

The Vida Quartet brings together four guitarists of exceptional artistry who share a passion for chamber music. After their debut at the World Youth Guitar Festival in 2007 the quartet rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic guitar ensembles. The quartet is made up of Mark Ashford, Helen Sanderson, Mark Eden and Christopher Stell, the last two names also make up the Eden Stell guitar duo.