Manuel de Falla - Piano Works (Javier Perianes)

Information

Composer: Manuel de Falla

• Cuatro piezas españolas, G. 37
• Fantasía Baetica "à Arthur Rubinstein", G. 55
• Hommage à Debussy "Le tombeau de Claude Debussy", G. 56
• Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas, G. 83
• Noches en los jardines de España
• Canción, G. 14
• Nocturno, G. 3
• Mazurka in C minor, G. 11
• Serenata andaluza, G. 13

Javier Perianes, piano

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Josep Pons, conductor

Date: 2011

Label: harmonia mundi

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Review

This is a disc to lift the spirits. Whether the music is sultry, strenuous or sunny, Javier Perianes plays with an infallible ear for style, atmosphere and colour. Most of the works here testify to their composer’s nationality, harnessing as they do distinctive Spanish inflections of rhythm and melodic shaping, but there are exceptions. An early Nocturno and Mazurka from the 1890s show that, as with Falla’s Russian contemporary Scriabin, the influence of Chopin was still making itself felt half a century after his death. A Canción from 1900 has the languid air of a Chopin nocturne beautifully crafted above a hypnotic bass-line reminiscent of a Satie Gymnopédie. A much later piece, the solemn and harmonically piquant Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas of 1935, is more difficult to place, although the textures and timbres seem to have their origins in the French music with which Falla became familiar during his sojourn in Paris during the years before the First World War.

Surprisingly enough, given that he was such a remarkable pianist, Falla wrote comparatively little for his own instrument. Most of it – but not quite all – is recorded here, with the Cuatro piezas españolas showing how vibrantly and sensitively he could summon up the sensuality and exuberance of Spanish musical traits. The Fantasia Baetica, written for Arthur Rubinstein, does so with particular force, and in the Nights in the Gardens of Spain the BBC Symphony Orchestra joins Perianes for a performance of panache and captivating flair and freshness.

— Geoffrey Norris

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Manuel de Falla (23 November 1876 – 14 November 1946) was a leading Spanish composer of the early 20th century. After relocating to Paris in 1907, he came under the influence of Debussy, Dukas and Ravel. Upon his return to Madrid in 1914, he produced major works including El amor brujo, El sombrero de tres picos, and Noches en los jardines de España, solidifying his international reputation. In later years in Granada, he composed El retablo de Maese Pedro and a Harpsichord Concerto, reflecting his shift toward a neoclassical style. Falla spent his final years in Mallorca and subsequently in Argentina.

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Javier Perianes (born 24 September 1978) is a Spanish pianist. His international career features performances in prestigious concert halls with leading orchestras and conductors such as Barenboim, Dutoit, Mehta and Dudamel. A versatile recitalist and chamber musician, he collaborates frequently with Tabea Zimmermann and the Quiroga Quartet, appearing at prominent festivals worldwide. Perianes has performed with premier ensembles including the Vienna Philharmonic and Leipzig Gewandhaus. His exclusive harmonia mundi recordings span a wide repertoire from Beethoven and Debussy to Falla and Granados.

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