Enrique Granados - Orchestral Works Vol. 1 (Pablo González)

Information

Composer: Enrique Granados

• Marcha de los vencidos (March of the Defeated)
• Torrijos, incidental music
• Suite sobre cantos gallegos

Cor Madrigal

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra

Pablo González, conductor

Date: 2016

Label: Naxos

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Review

Enrique Granados was a victim of the Great War: drowned with his wife in March 1916 after his ferry was torpedoed by a U boat. There’s a sense about his music of promise unfulfilled – not helped by the fact that his piano masterpiece Goyescas has understandably overshadowed his orchestral works. This new Naxos recording is apparently the first in a new series of Granados orchestral discs that should help redress the balance.

Don’t expect castanets and cante jondo, though. The three works on this rather short disc are Romantic nationalism with the emphasis on the Romantic rather than the national. The opening Marcha de los vencidos sets the tone, a sombre ‘March of the Defeated’ whose chromaticism and atmospheric orchestral language hint as much at Bayreuth as at Barcelona.

The incidental music for Fernando Periquet’s historical drama Torrijos makes effective use of a chorus amid its piquant harmonies and martial fanfares, but the Suite sobre cantos gallegos of 1899 is the real discovery: four movements on an expansive scale, treating folk material in a rich, expressive idiom, imaginatively orchestrated. It’s like an Iberian equivalent of Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, and, like all the works on this disc, it’s recorded here for the first time.

Under Pablo González, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra play with style and evident affection – listen to how freely the oboist phrases the melody at the opening of tr 7. The recording sounds natural, with a wide dynamic range that slightly favours the orchestra over the chorus. Hispanophiles should certainly hear this, though it’ll appeal to anyone who enjoys neglected late Romantic music of the Karłowicz, Alfven or Fibich variety.

— Richard Bratby

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Enrique Granados (27 July 1867 – 24 March 1916) was a Spanish composer and pianist from Catalonia. A student of Felipe Pedrell, he rose to prominence with his Danzas españolas and soon established himself as one of Spain's foremost pianists. In addition to his celebrated piano works, Granados also composed several operas and founded a piano academy in Barcelona. Deeply influenced by 18th-century and Spanish artistic traditions, he created the renowned Goyescas, inspired by the paintings of Francisco Goya. Granados's life ended tragically when the Sussex was torpedoed during his return voyage from New York.

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Pablo González (born 1975 in Oviedo) is a Spanish conductor. A graduate of London's Guildhall School, he gained recognition after winning the Donatella Flick and Cadaqués competitions. Known for his interpretations of 19th-century Russian and German repertoire, he is also celebrated for his commitment to Spanish composers. He has served as Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (2010–2015) and Principal Conductor of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra (2019–2023). In Barcelona, he led acclaimed Mahler and Schumann cycles, toured Europe, and recorded works by Granados and Bizet.

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