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Track(s) taken from CDA67846

Allegro de concierto

composer
1903; written for a competition at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid

Garrick Ohlsson (piano)
Recording details: June 2011
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: February 2012
Total duration: 7 minutes 37 seconds

Cover artwork: The Parasol (1777). Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)
Prado, Madrid / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘Not to be missed … a superb evocation of Spain, especially The Maiden and the Nightingale, which is among the most treasurable piano pieces ever written. Ohlsson … sounds totally convincing’ (The Mail on Sunday)

‘You can't go far wrong with Ohlsson, who could hardly be more affecting in Quejas, o La maja y el ruiseñor or more able to express the dark and glittering hearts of both El amor y la muerte and Epílogo, serenata del espectro’ (Gramophone)

‘Ohlsson is very much the performer for the heart of the work … his feeling for the constant fluctuations of pace and mood infuses The Maiden with the Nightingale, right through to its wonderfully delicate birdsong fantasy … rounded off by the brighter energies of El pelele and the spectacular Allegro de concierto, this makes a fine, warmly recorded all-Granados disc’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The style of the piano writing can be traced back to Chopin and Liszt. It's that side of Granados' music that is brought out in Garrick Ohlsson's technically immaculate performances’ (The Guardian)

‘Recording engineer David Hinitt achieves truly sumptuous results. The piano sound has tremendous amplitude and richness … Ohlsson excels when Granados asks for wit or overt technical display’ (International Record Review)

‘The music is a series of romantic evocations, taking inspiration from folk melody and dance as much as the characters and scenes depicted by the great painter. Ohlsson captures their flavour with virtuosic flair’ (Financial Times)
The Allegro de concierto is a bravura showpiece that Granados submitted to a 1903 composition competition of the Royal Conservatory in Madrid. Among the others who submitted a work for the jury’s consideration was a young composer from Cádiz named Manuel de Falla. In the event, Granados won first prize, and Falla an honourable mention. The Allegro de concierto combines Lisztian virtuosity with skilful use of sonata form, a rare instance of this procedure in the composer’s œuvre. There is nothing folkloric or distinctively Spanish about this piece; yet, its technical brilliance and enchanting lyricism make it a perennial favourite among Granados’s piano works.

from notes by Walter Aaron Clark © 2012
author of Enrique Granados: Poet of the Piano (Oxford, 2006/2011)

L’Allegro de concierto est un morceau de bravoure que Granados présenta, en 1903, à un concours de composition du Conservatoire royal de Madrid. Ce jour-là, le jury eut également à examiner une œuvre d’un jeune compositeur de Cadix nommé Manuel de Falla. Finalement, Granados obtint le premier prix et Falla une mention. L’Allegro de concierto combine virtuosité lisztienne et usage habile de la forme sonate—un amalgame rare chez Granados. Rien de folklorique ni de typiquement espagnol dans cette pièce, mais un brio technique et un lyrisme enchanteur qui en font un page éternellement chérie du piano de Granados.

extrait des notes rédigées par Walter Aaron Clark © 2012
Français: Hypérion

Das Allegro de concierto ist ein Bravourstück, das Granados 1903 bei einem Kompositionswettbewerb des Königlichen Konservatoriums in Madrid vorlegte. Unter den anderen Musikern, die sich an diesem Wettbewerb beteiligten, befand sich auch ein junger Komponist aus Cádiz namens Manuel de Falla. Granados gewann letzten Endes den ersten Preis und de Falla wurde rühmend erwähnt. Das Allegro de concierto kombiniert Liszt’sche Virtuosität mit einem kunstfertigen Einsatz der Sonatenhauptsatzform, die in dem Oeuvre des Komponisten nur selten auftritt. Dieses Stück weist keine folkloristischen oder typisch spanischen Elemente auf, doch ist es aufgrund seiner technischen Brillanz und bezaubernden Lyrik ein besonders beliebtes Werk in Granados’ Klavierrepertoire.

aus dem Begleittext von Walter Aaron Clark © 2012
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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