Granados: Danza española, Op. 37 No. 6 'Jota' (Rondalla aragonesa)

Born in 1867, Granados was a brilliant composer and pianist. He founded the Granados Academy, later led by Alicia de Larrocha, and its international reputation. The Spanish Dances are a true representative of Iberian romanticism: its colour is perhaps not flamenco, but its curvature is Iberian, and the flavour of the Spanish Dances is the fruit of the provinces to which they refer.

Guillaume Coppola has had access to manuscripts and critical editions which he has carefully studied and adopted the most significant. A comprehensive and curious musician, he makes the colours shimmer with the warmth of Spain.

Michel Block (1937-2003) gained international attention and fame when, at the 1960 Chopin Competition, jury member Artur Rubinstein, was so outraged by the jury decision that he awarded Michel Block with the special Artur Rubinstein Award on the spot. Two years later Michel Block, a Juilliard laureate, won the prestigious Leventritt Award. He embarked on an international solo career, and played with esteemed orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, Chicago Symphony and London Symphony Orchestra, with conductors Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink and Georg Solti. After entering the Music faculty of Bloomington, he ceased his busy concert schedule. His rare public appearances after that were emorable events.

Block had a special affinity for Spanish music: he grew up in Mexico and his famous recording of Albeniz’ Iberia (EMI) counts amongst the best ever. This recital offers gems from the Spanish repertoire all played in Block’s leisurely, seductive, hypnotising style, where piano hammers don’t exist, only beautiful sound…

Recording: 1991, Bloomington Indiana University School of Music

Neil Smith, one of Britain's finest classical guitarists, performs Spanish Guitar classics by Gaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados.

Neil Smith has given concerts in over 40 nations making over two thousand appearances in total. He has toured under some of the finest conductors including the late Sir Alexander Gibson and Sir Simon Rattle and the finest orchestras including the RSNO, RLPO, CBSO, BBC Ulster, City of London Sinfonia, the English String Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. His debut in the USA received a standing ovation and led to several return trips, coast to coast. Recent tours have included Japan, Arabia, Russia, Scandinavia, Holland, Portugal and Spain where he has also given masterclasses, a rare honour for an Englishman.

The fact that the decidedly attractive chamber grouping of guitar and string quartet is so seldom heard has prompted the Minguet Quartet and the guitarist Friedemann Wuttke to occupy themselves intensively with it. This is the first CD in a series which will be devoted to original works and arrangements for guitar and string quartet.

The combination of string quartet and guitar brings together different approaches to the repertoire. The guitar profits from the abundance of quartet literature and contributes its own Spanish, Impressionist character.

Douglas Riva is “one of the principal apostles of Granados’ music.” (El País), and according to Natalia Granados, the composer’s daughter, “Mr. Riva knows everything relating to my father to perfection.”