I love Iberia so much. Some decades ago before Alicia de Larrocha became really famous, she came to our little college where she played the entire set. Her recordings have set the standard for Iberia and other Spanish music and I treasure them greatly. I vividly recall her master class.
@@cesarvallejolopez Another legend down the tubes! Indeed I may have misunderstood her back in the day as we were speaking in Spanish which wasn't that great back then.. de Larrocha was born in 1923 and Granados died in 1916.
Iberia and Goyescas are the highest expression of spanish virtuosistic pianism. And as a spaniard and pianist myself it fills me with joy to wath such a brilliant exposition of Albeniz's work. Thanks a lot
Alicia de Larrocha was a true original. In a blind listening test you can identify her in 5 seconds. The always resonant tone, the perfect rhythmic sense and accents are all uniquely hers. I was fortunate to see her in a series of recitals of Spanish music in New York in the 1960s. I also remember seeing her before that on public television in a concert from the Prado Museum playing Hafftlers Danza de La Pastora. I thought “who is this pianist”?? It was so good!
de Larrocha nailed down, like no one, the music of Albéniz, Granados, de Falla, Soler. And she went beyond. Her Carnival op 9 (which I heard live), her Beethoven sonatas, her Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand... What a pianist!
Yes, she was amazing. Capable of playing everything with a clear, bright tone. Her Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Schumann, Mozart, Chopin and Bach. Everything at an exceptionally high standard. Always worth hearing.
As a classical guitarist I’ve always been a fan of Albeniz, he has some pieces that have been arranged for classical guitar and it always blew my mind that it wasn’t the instrument he actually wrote for!
I still remember 1966, when I discovered de Larrocha's recordings of Iberia and Granados' Goyescas on the Epic label. I still think they are iconic performances, immortal really.
De Larrocha performed several times with the Columbus Symphony. Her last appearance was I believe in 2003. She had a memory lapse in a Mozart concerto, a work she no doubt had played dozens of times. It was sad to learn she chose to retire not long afterward. Her Nights in the Gardens of Spain was something I’ll always remember. She was a delightful, warm person.
Interesting coincidence! I also heard Alicia de Larrocha with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Evan Whallon conductor. When I was in high school (Eastmoor class of 1962) I volunteered as an usher with the CSO who often played in the cavernous Veterans Memorial. When a concert began I got the pick of empty seats. Columbus was on the mainline national touring route for the Hurok Organization so I heard Artur Rubinstein, Nathan Milstein (violin), and even Victor Borge. There were also the visiting orchestras and their conductors, notably the Chicago Symphony and Fritz Reiner with his trademark vest-pocket baton style. But de Larrocha stands out in my memory among all of the visiting artists and, of course, she played Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
Thank you! I wish I had you im my music ed class at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, but you probably were not born yet. I attended in the 1970s and I remember the name of Alicia De La Rocha being mentioned all through school, but I never did hear her. I played Albeniz easy pieces in my John Thompson method, loved that. More importantly, you kept my husband enthralled for your whole video, and we had a very engaging conversation. That is so important to me, since he is in pain recovering from double pneumonia and cracked ribs. But while you were talking, he did not notice it! God bless you.
Ahhhhh. You hit the spot as usual. Absolutely made my day. So deeply love this piece and love de Larrocha's amazing sense of distinctly Spanish rhythm. Listening to the books all the way through is truly a great journey that I love taking, especially in her last recording. Thankyou!!!
I love this video. As someone from Spain, it fills me with pride when the talent of our composers and performers is recognized abroad, often more so than in Spain, unfortunately. I played some pieces from Iberia during my time at the conservatory, as the yearly program typically required us to include a Spanish work. My favorite pieces are El Albaicín (perhaps I'm slightly biased as I'm from Granada) and El Polo. I highly recommend two recordings: Rafael Orozco’s (an Andalusian pianist who sadly passed away too soon) and Guillermo González’s for Naxos. Thanks!
Totalmente de acuerdo. Compositores e INTÉRPRETES. Alicia, Esteban Sánchez, Rafael Orozco. La versión de La vega de Esteban ... Albéniz, Granados, Mompou. Y Turina, los Halffter, y personalmente, para mi. Montsalvatge está a un nivel similar.
@@neilford99 He was an extraordinary pianist with a distinguished international career. It's sadly surprising that many people in Spain are unfamiliar with him. The first CD I bought as a child with money I had saved was his recording of Rachmaninoff's complete orchestra and piano works. Several videos of his Iberia are available on TH-cam, including this live recording from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 1993, three years before his death: th-cam.com/video/gZgb0pKquxc/w-d-xo.html By the way, this recording was shared and uploaded to TH-cam thanks to Joaquín Achúcarro, another of our great pianists.
Great video! de Larrocha was fabulously communicative. I heard her live and have nearly all her published recordings in my piano collection of over 10,000+ LPs/CDs/78s. Her Mendelssohn and Grieg were different from many of my other recordings of the same works but her interpretation is so communicative. On the other hand, Ashkenazy does the opposite who played technically great but devoid of the emotional feeling I feel for so many other pianists performing contemporaneously.
Great video! As a fellow spaniard, it's great to see an Albéniz video from this channel. I wanted to mention that in Fête-Dieu à Seville, (17:09), Albéniz uses the melody of a very popular traditional song called "La Tarara". Not only in the climax, but throughout the piece. And, as a suggestion for a future video on Spanish music, Enrique Granados' "Goyescas" is also a piano masterpiece. Alicia de Larrocha's recording is delightful.
What a glorious appreciation of this stellar masterwork! Thank you so much! For years I dismissed Albéniz as frivolous and marginal since the piano collections from which I played included only his easiest works. Then I heard Iberia and he instantly became one of my favorite composers. We're especially lucky they filmed a production of his Merlin. Almeria is my favorite movement of Iberia, and it brought tears to my eyes learning from you it was one of the last things he performed publicly. Naturally de la Rocca was my first exposure, but I've also got the Requejo and Sanchez recordings, each with its own unique take of the monumental work.
I think Robert gets it 100% right in describing Alicia De Larrocha's playing - she's direct and sincere, with an uncanny ability to bring any score to life with such conviction.
This was an induction for me - and I appreciate all you have put into making this - the musicians of those days were Titans! (Seem to remember that Debussy once lost a bet from a single lapse in memory in playing the score Parsifal through by heart!)
Robert Fleitz, you are such and artist - in all the best ways. Thank you so much for this video. In a world that appears to be falling apart at the seams, it's nice to encounter something that is a celebration of some of what is best in us. I have encountered only the fringes of Albeniz's genius, it seems to me; and you've made me very interested in the deep dive. Thanks again.
I remember being stressed out of my gourd preparing El Albaicin (among other pieces) for a university recital, but there was always so much to love about it and every other piece from Iberia. The whole piece feels as though it builds to that except at 12:35 and it's such an amazing payoff.
Thank you for making a video featuring Alicia de Larrocha, by far my favorite pianist ever! Her sense of style, rhythm, melody, and drama are unmatched. Iberia is an incredible piece - the perfect music to have on in the background as the weather warms up and the sun shines. Almeria is actually my favorite movement from the suite. Like you said, there is obvious clarity and sunniness to this and the other movements, but underneath there is sadness and contemplation. I did not know this was one of the pieces he played at his last concert. (Note: your video said Rodena is in Bk 1 but it is actually in Bk 2) In addition to AdL's Albeniz and Mozart, I highly suggest people listen to her Beethoven concertos, Rachmaninoff concertos 2 and 3, Chopin Concerto 2 / Barcarolle / Preludes, Schumann Fantasie, Liszt Sonata(!), Bach-Busoni Chaconne, Schubert 664 & 960 sonatas, and of course her unrivaled performances of the other great Spanish composers, especially Granados. Her recording of El Pelele just rocks. Fortunately her daughter has been wonderful at collecting and posting all available recordings and live performances to TH-cam. There is a stunning video of her playing De Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain with Dutoit and the MSO on TH-cam, featuring slow pans of a Spanish castle at night - in my view one of the most gorgeous "classical music videos" out there.
Thank you for your kind words about my mother! I'm glad you listen to the videos and audios I've posted. I try to get people to listen to her interpretations of works by other composers, as you say, not just Spanish ones and Mozart!
This has little to do with the video, but yesterday I performed both the Franck Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue, and the exact Scarlatti sonata referenced in this video in my recital. Pretty incredible coincidence there!
I learned so much from this - thank you for introducing me to Ibera. And yes, imagine memorising that in just two days… it takes me that long to decide what to watch on Netflix.
3:52 Traveling the world in his teens (born in 1960) included Puerto Rico, which became independent from Spain in 1868. And also Cuba, which would be lost by Spain in 1898. In fact, Albéniz included Cuba in his Suite Española Op. 47.
As someone who loves all kinds of music, especially piano, it is great to discover composers I had not previously known for their piano works. What a fantastic piece. I have several recordings of Alicia de Larrocha playing Mompou , another great Spanish composer but not heard her recordings of Iberia. How about a video on Mompou? Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for your extremely calming narrative. It really soothed me. This almost 53 year pianist thanks you Robert!! I love this music!! Debussy is definitely my favorite composer and the 3 mentioned are definitely impressionists!! Thanks so much again!! ❤💯🎵🎹
Thank you for the fantastic video! I really enjoyed learning about all the different influences that informed this masterpiece. I adore Triana and Eritaña from Iberia. Also, your transition from the Scarlatti Sonata to Rondeña was sublime!
Very interesting video. Thank you for making me more aware of Albeniz and Alicia de Larrocha is a ball of fire. I am a composer of songs, and my latest has just been released. It is on my channel and is called 'Diamonds in the Attic'
Great video All 12 pieces are great, not a single one falls off, but if i had to choose a favourite, it would be jerez or el albaicin atm. I think iberia sparked a fascinating piano scene in spain which has stayed quite unknown (except for some piano works by de falla; while granados feels somehow a bit like a „stand-alone“ composer imo).
Very interesting and well made video. Great to see Bugs! I had the privilege of hearing Barenboim play Books I and II at Carnegie Hall many years ago. Stunning playing followed by 9 encores.!!!
I can play Triana, and not only I am even more fascinated than before, I am also mesmerized by the beauty of the score itself. It is a piano wonder just to hear and read Iberia and I thank every pianist playing it fully or parts of it. Thanks for this video @tonebase, Iberia is my favorite piano piece.
Thank you for this Documentary. 😊 I would love to see a video about Ricardo Viñes. Which is for me one of the most inspiring Pianists there was. Regards and thank you for your work Phil🇨🇭🇨🇭
yas i love this video giving this masterpiece the widespread attention it deserves. even many classical pianists stray away from this music due to its harmonic complexity and technical difficulty. btw Albeniz should be pronounced in the Castilian pronunciation as "Al-BEI-neeth" not "Al-BEI-nees"
The truth is that Albeniz never met Liszt, that's a lie he himself invented when Guerra y Alarcon interviewed him for writing his biography. Clark 's biography shows the truth, though. Liszt wasnt in Budapest, but in Weimar, and Albeniz lied about meeting him in his diaries (Impresiones y diarios de viaje). You can see he only talks few lines about the Liszt ' classes while spending pages describing the details of a museum hed visited.
sin embargo, mi música para la isla desertada seria 'Iberia', tocada, claro por la grande maestra, Dona Alicia..sea que Ella tiene 3 manos...amo, despues 40 años apassionato❤❤
AdL was NOT THE FIRST to record the complete Iberia cycle! Leopoldo Querol recorded it in 1954! Jose Falgarona recorded it in 1955! AdL's first Iberia cycle on Hispavox was recorded in 1957 and released in 1958! Check your facts, dudes!
What a depth in your enlightening essay on Iberia! I had never thought of the “Schola Cantorum” vein in Albeniz’ music - but of course!! Which creates the filiation line leading up to Messiaen - of course again. (If you have the time to reflect on this: could Villa-Lobos have been a “messenger” between Albeniz and Messiaen?) Also to me as a great admirer of Boulez’ music, your quote of his praise for Iberia made quite a few bells ringing. The lushness of Iberia’s textures and that of Boulez’ later style, their common love of trills, and indeed a sort of "horror vacui” as if in both their lives some deep pain - in Albeniz both physical and moral, in Boulez more hidden - had to be smothered by a wall of never-ending sound.. Thank you!
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I need to think more about the Villa-Lobos connection you mention! I am really glad you also were fascinated by the Boulez - Albéniz relationship, I really think it helps to illuminate things in both of their music. Thank you!
To me there is a very unique fun playing Iberia. This is as much if not more emotionally powerful than anything from the great repertoire. But at the same time, there is this quirckiness and this willingness to push the physical aspect of the work all the way up to madness, that you normally only get in virtuoso showpieces with less musical substance.
Thank you so much for this! Was wondering, where did you get the footage of the masterclass on 11:35? I played in this same masterclass and I would love to see if any of my lessons would be accessible anywhere. What wonderful memories!
Hola Jesús! Esta master la subieron en el canal del Reina Sofia hace unos 3 ó 4 meses. Seguro puedes pedírselo a alguien de allí. Me gustaría escucharlo también 😉 Saludos!!
@ @tonebasePiano Thank you so much to both of you! Hopefully I can find the rest of the masterclass. Alex, preguntaré a la Escuela - gracias por la idea!
I saw and heard Alicia de Larrocha playing live, in Rotterdam, must have been somewhere in the ‘70s. I think she played Beethoven, unfortunetely not Iberia.
My favorite version is Esteban Sanchez's recording, but Rafael Orozco's is also one I listen to a lot. Sanchez's Triana and Lavapies are very interesting versions, and his Triana is by far my favorite. Orozco is more nuanced by comparison and is very good throughout the set without any added struggle in the later pieces.
I love Iberia so much. Some decades ago before Alicia de Larrocha became really famous, she came to our little college where she played the entire set. Her recordings have set the standard for Iberia and other Spanish music and I treasure them greatly. I vividly recall her master class.
What a beautiful experience! Thanks for sharing.
@ I would also add that she was asked for this program which also included Goyescas--another great piece and as a child prodigy she met Granados!
@@shubus Unfortunately she didn't meet Granados, who died tragically before she was even born
@@cesarvallejolopez Another legend down the tubes! Indeed I may have misunderstood her back in the day as we were speaking in Spanish which wasn't that great back then.. de Larrocha was born in 1923 and Granados died in 1916.
I recommend Esteban Sánchez's recordings too. Barenboim said after hearing them, he didnt have much to add.
Iberia and Goyescas are the highest expression of spanish virtuosistic pianism. And as a spaniard and pianist myself it fills me with joy to wath such a brilliant exposition of Albeniz's work. Thanks a lot
Those are really such incredible pieces. Goyescas deserves its own video too! Thanks for your nice comment.
Alicia de Larrocha was a true original. In a blind listening test you can identify her in 5 seconds. The always resonant tone, the perfect rhythmic sense and accents are all uniquely hers. I was fortunate to see her in a series of recitals of Spanish music in New York in the 1960s. I also remember seeing her before that on public television in a concert from the Prado Museum playing Hafftlers Danza de La Pastora. I thought “who is this pianist”?? It was so good!
de Larrocha nailed down, like no one, the music of Albéniz, Granados, de Falla, Soler. And she went beyond. Her Carnival op 9 (which I heard live), her Beethoven sonatas, her Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand... What a pianist!
Yes, she was amazing. Capable of playing everything with a clear, bright tone. Her Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Schumann, Mozart, Chopin and Bach. Everything at an exceptionally high standard. Always worth hearing.
PS: _Granados,_ not Granado.
Her "Noches en los Jardines de España"!
As a classical guitarist I’ve always been a fan of Albeniz, he has some pieces that have been arranged for classical guitar and it always blew my mind that it wasn’t the instrument he actually wrote for!
I still remember 1966, when I discovered de Larrocha's recordings of Iberia and Granados' Goyescas on the Epic label. I still think they are iconic performances, immortal really.
What a beautiful video! Its amazing how Alicia brings out certain voices through an the notes and harmonies!
It really is amazing how she manages to make each note sound so alive!
De Larrocha performed several times with the Columbus Symphony. Her last appearance was I believe in 2003. She had a memory lapse in a Mozart concerto, a work she no doubt had played dozens of times. It was sad to learn she chose to retire not long afterward. Her Nights in the Gardens of Spain was something I’ll always remember. She was a delightful, warm person.
Interesting coincidence! I also heard Alicia de Larrocha with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Evan Whallon conductor. When I was in high school (Eastmoor class of 1962) I volunteered as an usher with the CSO who often played in the cavernous Veterans Memorial. When a concert began I got the pick of empty seats. Columbus was on the mainline national touring route for the Hurok Organization so I heard Artur Rubinstein, Nathan Milstein (violin), and even Victor Borge. There were also the visiting orchestras and their conductors, notably the Chicago Symphony and Fritz Reiner with his trademark vest-pocket baton style. But de Larrocha stands out in my memory among all of the visiting artists and, of course, she played Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
Thank you! I wish I had you im my music ed class at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, but you probably were not born yet. I attended in the 1970s and I remember the name of Alicia De La Rocha being mentioned all through school, but I never did hear her. I played Albeniz easy pieces in my John Thompson method, loved that. More importantly, you kept my husband enthralled for your whole video, and we had a very engaging conversation. That is so important to me, since he is in pain recovering from double pneumonia and cracked ribs. But while you were talking, he did not notice it! God bless you.
You don’t see content like this on TV anymore, so why bother turning it on when you have channels like this? Excellent video!!
So happy you enjoyed!
Ahhhhh. You hit the spot as usual. Absolutely made my day. So deeply love this piece and love de Larrocha's amazing sense of distinctly Spanish rhythm. Listening to the books all the way through is truly a great journey that I love taking, especially in her last recording. Thankyou!!!
Albéniz meeting liszt is crazy
I love this video. As someone from Spain, it fills me with pride when the talent of our composers and performers is recognized abroad, often more so than in Spain, unfortunately. I played some pieces from Iberia during my time at the conservatory, as the yearly program typically required us to include a Spanish work. My favorite pieces are El Albaicín (perhaps I'm slightly biased as I'm from Granada) and El Polo. I highly recommend two recordings: Rafael Orozco’s (an Andalusian pianist who sadly passed away too soon) and Guillermo González’s for Naxos. Thanks!
Thanks for the recommendations and the kind words!
Orozco was a stunning pianist
Totalmente de acuerdo. Compositores e INTÉRPRETES. Alicia, Esteban Sánchez, Rafael Orozco. La versión de La vega de Esteban ... Albéniz, Granados, Mompou. Y Turina, los Halffter, y personalmente, para mi. Montsalvatge está a un nivel similar.
Some of orozco’s performances are on TH-cam. He won the Leeds competition in 1966 aged 19.
@@neilford99 He was an extraordinary pianist with a distinguished international career. It's sadly surprising that many people in Spain are unfamiliar with him. The first CD I bought as a child with money I had saved was his recording of Rachmaninoff's complete orchestra and piano works.
Several videos of his Iberia are available on TH-cam, including this live recording from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 1993, three years before his death:
th-cam.com/video/gZgb0pKquxc/w-d-xo.html
By the way, this recording was shared and uploaded to TH-cam thanks to Joaquín Achúcarro, another of our great pianists.
Brilliant exposition by Mr. Fleitz. The interlocking comparisons he offers between Iberia and Franck, Scarlatti, and Boulez are inspired.
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed those connections!
Great video! de Larrocha was fabulously communicative. I heard her live and have nearly all her published recordings in my piano collection of over 10,000+ LPs/CDs/78s. Her Mendelssohn and Grieg were different from many of my other recordings of the same works but her interpretation is so communicative. On the other hand, Ashkenazy does the opposite who played technically great but devoid of the emotional feeling I feel for so many other pianists performing contemporaneously.
Great video! As a fellow spaniard, it's great to see an Albéniz video from this channel. I wanted to mention that in Fête-Dieu à Seville, (17:09), Albéniz uses the melody of a very popular traditional song called "La Tarara". Not only in the climax, but throughout the piece.
And, as a suggestion for a future video on Spanish music, Enrique Granados' "Goyescas" is also a piano masterpiece. Alicia de Larrocha's recording is delightful.
Thank you for mentioning that, it it’s important to remember! And definitely - I love Goyescas so it’s certainly in the queue for a future video.
What a glorious appreciation of this stellar masterwork! Thank you so much! For years I dismissed Albéniz as frivolous and marginal since the piano collections from which I played included only his easiest works. Then I heard Iberia and he instantly became one of my favorite composers. We're especially lucky they filmed a production of his Merlin. Almeria is my favorite movement of Iberia, and it brought tears to my eyes learning from you it was one of the last things he performed publicly. Naturally de la Rocca was my first exposure, but I've also got the Requejo and Sanchez recordings, each with its own unique take of the monumental work.
I think Robert gets it 100% right in describing Alicia De Larrocha's playing - she's direct and sincere, with an uncanny ability to bring any score to life with such conviction.
This was an induction for me - and I appreciate all you have put into making this - the musicians of those days were Titans! (Seem to remember that Debussy once lost a bet from a single lapse in memory in playing the score Parsifal through by heart!)
Phenomenal video. Thanks so much for making it. I was very moved
La pianista estrella de España!! ❤❤❤
An amazing episode. Thanks for taking the time and love to put this together
Robert Fleitz, you are such and artist - in all the best ways. Thank you so much for this video. In a world that appears to be falling apart at the seams, it's nice to encounter something that is a celebration of some of what is best in us. I have encountered only the fringes of Albeniz's genius, it seems to me; and you've made me very interested in the deep dive. Thanks again.
I remember being stressed out of my gourd preparing El Albaicin (among other pieces) for a university recital, but there was always so much to love about it and every other piece from Iberia. The whole piece feels as though it builds to that except at 12:35 and it's such an amazing payoff.
Very interesting history about a masterpiece. Alicia de Larrocha is my favorite for Spanish Piano music. Thanks
De Larrocha made 4 studio recordings of Iberia, not 3. Though the first from around 1958 is not at all readily available.
Correct! Her first recording from
1958 was issued on Hispavox
and reissued by EMI/HMV.
Thank you for making a video featuring Alicia de Larrocha, by far my favorite pianist ever! Her sense of style, rhythm, melody, and drama are unmatched.
Iberia is an incredible piece - the perfect music to have on in the background as the weather warms up and the sun shines. Almeria is actually my favorite movement from the suite. Like you said, there is obvious clarity and sunniness to this and the other movements, but underneath there is sadness and contemplation. I did not know this was one of the pieces he played at his last concert.
(Note: your video said Rodena is in Bk 1 but it is actually in Bk 2)
In addition to AdL's Albeniz and Mozart, I highly suggest people listen to her Beethoven concertos, Rachmaninoff concertos 2 and 3, Chopin Concerto 2 / Barcarolle / Preludes, Schumann Fantasie, Liszt Sonata(!), Bach-Busoni Chaconne, Schubert 664 & 960 sonatas, and of course her unrivaled performances of the other great Spanish composers, especially Granados. Her recording of El Pelele just rocks.
Fortunately her daughter has been wonderful at collecting and posting all available recordings and live performances to TH-cam.
There is a stunning video of her playing De Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain with Dutoit and the MSO on TH-cam, featuring slow pans of a Spanish castle at night - in my view one of the most gorgeous "classical music videos" out there.
Thank you for your kind words about my mother!
I'm glad you listen to the videos and audios I've posted. I try to get people to listen to her interpretations of works by other composers, as you say, not just Spanish ones and Mozart!
@@lisilisin My pleasure! Your mother is a saint. Thank you for all you do :)
@@tekraynak 🙏🥰
Very enjoyable talk. Love Alicia and Albeniz (because of her).
how did Alicia de Larrocha do it all with those little hands.... a miracle
Thank you for opening the World of Albeniz piano music to me!
This has little to do with the video, but yesterday I performed both the Franck Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue, and the exact Scarlatti sonata referenced in this video in my recital. Pretty incredible coincidence there!
Great repertoire choices! ☺️
I learned so much from this - thank you for introducing me to Ibera. And yes, imagine memorising that in just two days… it takes me that long to decide what to watch on Netflix.
El Albaicín is my favorite. Luis Fernando Perez made an exceptional recording of Iberia, continuing in the tradition of Alicia de Larrocha.
Thanks for mentioning it!
My favourite piece played by Alicia de Larrocha is Schumann's Romanze, Op. 28 No. 2. She was such an extraordinary pianist.
A fantastic tour! Thank you!🎉
This presentation was brilliant! I had no choice but to subscribe and like.
3:52 Traveling the world in his teens (born in 1960) included Puerto Rico, which became independent from Spain in 1868. And also Cuba, which would be lost by Spain in 1898. In fact, Albéniz included Cuba in his Suite Española Op. 47.
I highly recommend to listen to Esteban Sanchez' recording of Iberia
You should listen to Alicia de Larrocha. You’ll salivate!
As someone who loves all kinds of music, especially piano, it is great to discover composers I had not previously known for their piano works. What a fantastic piece. I have several recordings of Alicia de Larrocha playing Mompou , another great Spanish composer but not heard her recordings of Iberia. How about a video on Mompou? Keep up the good work!
Yes, please, a video about La Rocha would be great. I love her rendition of "La maja y el ruiseñor" (Granados)
Yes…her performances of Granados are absolutely worthy of a longer discussion!
Thank you so much for your extremely calming narrative. It really soothed me. This almost 53 year pianist thanks you Robert!! I love this music!! Debussy is definitely my favorite composer and the 3 mentioned are definitely impressionists!! Thanks so much again!! ❤💯🎵🎹
Thank you for your kind words! I’m really glad you enjoyed!
You are an extraordinary lecturer, Robert Fleitz! Thank you!
Thanks!
Thank you for the fantastic video! I really enjoyed learning about all the different influences that informed this masterpiece. I adore Triana and Eritaña from Iberia. Also, your transition from the Scarlatti Sonata to Rondeña was sublime!
Awesome, thanks for watching!
An enjoyable and perceptive journey through the history of Iberia. Thank you.
Beautifully presented.
Excellent video! Thank you so much!
Excellent video. Thanks for the lesson.
Very interesting video. Thank you for making me more aware of Albeniz and Alicia de Larrocha is a ball of fire. I am a composer of songs, and my latest has just been released. It is on my channel and is called 'Diamonds in the Attic'
I love Evocacion, the first work in Book 1. This is Spanish Impressionism. Gorgeous, but 7 flats!
And what a work it is. Unsurpassable.
Rubinstein also played Albeniz masterfully. He was attracted to these Spanish music
Great video
All 12 pieces are great, not a single one falls off, but if i had to choose a favourite, it would be jerez or el albaicin atm.
I think iberia sparked a fascinating piano scene in spain which has stayed quite unknown (except for some piano works by de falla; while granados feels somehow a bit like a „stand-alone“ composer imo).
Thank you for this wonderful piece on one of my favourite pieces of piano music.
nice mashup with boulez!!! that was so on point!!
Very interesting and well made video. Great to see Bugs! I had the privilege of hearing Barenboim play Books I and II at Carnegie Hall many years ago. Stunning playing followed by 9 encores.!!!
I can play Triana, and not only I am even more fascinated than before, I am also mesmerized by the beauty of the score itself. It is a piano wonder just to hear and read Iberia and I thank every pianist playing it fully or parts of it. Thanks for this video @tonebase, Iberia is my favorite piano piece.
Thanks for sharing!
This is a master I have never heard of, time to catch up!
Alicia De Laroccha was one of Nana’s favorite pianists. Nana was also a recognized Albanez interpretive pianists.
Hi, your videos are very well done and inspiring. I LEARNED A LOT with it.
Thank you very much.
Amazing educational video. I love Iberia, and it's fascinating to learn more about the how and when and why.
Thank you for this Documentary. 😊 I would love to see a video about Ricardo Viñes. Which is for me one of the most inspiring Pianists there was.
Regards and thank you for your work
Phil🇨🇭🇨🇭
Imagine memorizing that in 2 days...
Petition for a long-overdue Scriabin video anyone? 👇
Agreed.
Yes - this request has been noted 😉
Oh yes, please.
19:21 The way I started thinking of Pierrot Lunaire when you said that.
Nicely done. Appreciate the Boulez, too.
🙏
yas i love this video giving this masterpiece the widespread attention it deserves. even many classical pianists stray away from this music due to its harmonic complexity and technical difficulty. btw Albeniz should be pronounced in the Castilian pronunciation as "Al-BEI-neeth" not "Al-BEI-nees"
This is so spot on. Well done.
Great video, for a great Masterpiece! Thank You!
This was great, thanks so much!
Andrew Tyson's Scarlatti is hammer-magic. thanks for bringing him to our attention
De Larroccha actually recorded it 4 x, including twice for Decca.
Correct!
There's a wonderful recording of Iberia by Messiaen's wife, Yvonne Loriod. Stunning clarity!
So inspirational. :)
The truth is that Albeniz never met Liszt, that's a lie he himself invented when Guerra y Alarcon interviewed him for writing his biography. Clark 's biography shows the truth, though. Liszt wasnt in Budapest, but in Weimar, and Albeniz lied about meeting him in his diaries (Impresiones y diarios de viaje). You can see he only talks few lines about the Liszt ' classes while spending pages describing the details of a museum hed visited.
For the love of everything that is good about piano, please listen to Rafael Orozco's live recording of Iberia.
Grazie , great job
She’s arguably the greatest pianist in history
sin embargo, mi música para la isla desertada seria 'Iberia', tocada, claro por la grande maestra, Dona Alicia..sea que Ella tiene 3 manos...amo, despues 40 años apassionato❤❤
AdL was NOT THE FIRST to record the
complete Iberia cycle! Leopoldo Querol
recorded it in 1954! Jose Falgarona
recorded it in 1955!
AdL's first Iberia cycle on Hispavox
was recorded in 1957 and released
in 1958! Check your facts, dudes!
What a depth in your enlightening essay on Iberia! I had never thought of the “Schola Cantorum” vein in Albeniz’ music - but of course!! Which creates the filiation line leading up to Messiaen - of course again. (If you have the time to reflect on this: could Villa-Lobos have been a “messenger” between Albeniz and Messiaen?) Also to me as a great admirer of Boulez’ music, your quote of his praise for Iberia made quite a few bells ringing. The lushness of Iberia’s textures and that of Boulez’ later style, their common love of trills, and indeed a sort of "horror vacui” as if in both their lives some deep pain - in Albeniz both physical and moral, in Boulez more hidden - had to be smothered by a wall of never-ending sound.. Thank you!
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I need to think more about the Villa-Lobos connection you mention! I am really glad you also were fascinated by the Boulez - Albéniz relationship, I really think it helps to illuminate things in both of their music. Thank you!
That was great. Now do Granados and Goyescas next!
Fantastic video!
I especially enjoy listening to Triana and El Corpus Christi en Sevilla.
BRAVO......from Acapulco!
To me there is a very unique fun playing Iberia. This is as much if not more emotionally powerful than anything from the great repertoire. But at the same time, there is this quirckiness and this willingness to push the physical aspect of the work all the way up to madness, that you normally only get in virtuoso showpieces with less musical substance.
Really well said. The quirkiness is exactly what makes it so special!
Thank you, I learned so much!
Falla next !! Olé! Toma qué toma! Arsa! 🇪🇸💃🏻🍷
Thank you so much for this! Was wondering, where did you get the footage of the masterclass on 11:35? I played in this same masterclass and I would love to see if any of my lessons would be accessible anywhere. What wonderful memories!
Hey, that's amazing! Here's a link to the video of the masterclass: th-cam.com/video/0RhCc0jX4oY/w-d-xo.html
Hola Jesús! Esta master la subieron en el canal del Reina Sofia hace unos 3 ó 4 meses. Seguro puedes pedírselo a alguien de allí. Me gustaría escucharlo también 😉 Saludos!!
@ @tonebasePiano
Thank you so much to both of you! Hopefully I can find the rest of the masterclass.
Alex, preguntaré a la Escuela - gracias por la idea!
For guitar lovers, Christophe Dejour's extraordinary arrangement of Iberia for the Trio Campanella can be highly recommended.
The difference between Albeniz and Boulez is that Albeniz creates sound with heart and Boulez makes sterile noise.
and both represent the intensity of their humans
Wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you man.
Thank you very much!!
Can you please a video about the history of ragtime?, people really need to know about Scott Joplin and the other 2 ragtime greats
I saw and heard Alicia de Larrocha playing live, in Rotterdam, must have been somewhere in the ‘70s. I think she played Beethoven, unfortunetely not Iberia.
My favorite version is Esteban Sanchez's recording, but Rafael Orozco's is also one I listen to a lot. Sanchez's Triana and Lavapies are very interesting versions, and his Triana is by far my favorite. Orozco is more nuanced by comparison and is very good throughout the set without any added struggle in the later pieces.
Sí, un video dedicado a Alicia sería buenísimo
Thank you
Malat's compositions are played on guitar in transcription.