Mark Devoto
Classical Ear
August 2015

Albéniz’s only completed full-length piano concerto, orchestrated in part by his friend the zarzuela composer Tomás Bretón, and his one-movement Rapsodia española both date from 1887. The former is melodically and harmonically amiable though obviously deriving in style from Chopin; the latter has a more folklike Spanish flavor. Both are diffuse in form but this weakness is overcome by the glittering piano style. Granados’s ‘Patético’ Concerto can’t be called authentic; rather it is a thorough reconstruction from incomplete sketches and potpourri from existing piano solos, but these are convincingly organized by Melani Mestre, who is the expert and expressive soloist in all the works on this disc. Chopin is again the main influence here, with richly chromatic harmony and even a mazurka-like dance style, but one can hear the brilliant originality of Goyescas soon to come. This music is not exemplary of these composers’ best, but it is unquestionably pleasant to listen to.

Classical Ear