In the decades since the review disc material was originally recorded there has been exponential growth in interest in the classical guitar. Paralleling this are the numbers of people who play to concert standards and of those preoccupied with the short history of the instrument and its past champions.

During the period from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s the great José Rey de la Torre made twelve commercial recordings none of which are currently available. The review disc comprises material originally released in late 1950 or 1951 on the Philharmonia label (PH 106), later re-released on Elektra (EKL 244) and then again on Nonesuch (H-7123). It also includes a 1950 rendition of the Boccherini Quintet in D major featuring the Stuyvesant String Quartet (Philharmonia PH 101). The final track is a previously unissued live performance of Etude No. 11 by Villa-Lobos.

Rey de la Torre was born in Gibara, Cuba in 1917 and died on 21 July 1994 in San José, California. A child prodigy, he studied guitar in Havana with Severino Lopez, a student of Miguel Llobet. In 1932 his family sent him to Barcelona to study under Llobet.

On 9 May 1934 Llobet presented him in a concert at the Academia Marshall together with a pianist and then shortly after in a solo recital. Both received rave reviews from the tough Barcelona critics. Catalan composer and critic Jaime Pahissa described Rey as the most complete guitarist he had heard. Another critic compared him not only with Llobet but also with Pablo Casals.

Rey moved to the U.S.A. in 1937 or 1938 to establish his concert career. Motivated in particular by homesickness he made several return trips to Cuba to give concerts after which his family moved from Cuba to New York to support him.

Around 1961, right at a time when his career was flourishing, he suffered a setback: the middle finger of his right hand became less responsive and was a challenge for a number of years until Marianne Eppens, a physical therapist, was able to isolate the cause and offer a remedy. In 1969 they were married and moved to California. In 1975 at the zenith of his career Rey was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease which ended his performing career a year later.

The guitar playing on the review disc is quite inspiring. Informative and comprehensive notes accompanying this disc refer to Rey’s ‘poetic, precise, playing still evident half a century on - his rich resonant tone, his exquisite phrasing and sense of line, his bravura technique and profound musicality’. Testimonial of these qualities is readily found on the disc including a splendid rendition of Albeniz’s Torre Bermeja - The Crimson Tower [2]. We are reminded in the notes that, unlike much of what is recorded today, this particular recording was made without any edits.

Rey premiered Six Variations on a Theme by Milan [5] by composer/pianist Joaquin Nin-Culmell on 10 November 1947. Of him the composer said: ‘As a young player he was astounding. His playing was aristocratic and exact, quite different from the romantic, improvisational school of Segovia.’

The hitherto unreleased live performance of Etude No. 11 by Villa-Lobos is highly evocative of actually being at that very concert, coughs and all - not to mention the beautiful live guitar playing.

Given the vintage of the recordings the overall sonic qualities are quite good. No master tape was available for the solo recording so it was restored from a copy of the Elektra LP. The live recording of the Villa-Lobos Study has an eerie life-like quality.

Particularly touching is the great reverence, admiration and affection with which students, friends and associates refer to Rey de la Torre - also known as José, or Che - by that select group. Much of this is encapsulated in what ex-student Anthony Weller wrote in the accompanying notes: ‘Sometimes it is difficult to grasp how very quickly the vagaries of time can erase a performer’s legacy; the familiar name becomes an unfamiliar ghost. Now the classical guitar audience will have one of the instrument’s greatest poets, at his magnificent best, before them again, more than half a century later. May he never be forgotten.’

We can only hope that, like Mr Weller, future champions will emerge to ensure that past great exponents of the guitar, such as Jose Luis Gonzalez (1932-1998) will never become unfamiliar ghosts but forever be remembered for their magnificent contributions when the guitar had so few of their kind.

This is a highly important historical recording by one of the instrument’s greatest exponents.

-- Zane Turner, MusicWeb International

For their third recording for label Stradivarius, the duo Singer & Fischer have chosen to devote themselves to four Hispanic-flavored works. With little original repertoire despite the opuses that various composers have written for them in recent years, transcriptions, arrangements, and other adaptations are usual in the ensemble’s work. However, not all works are easy to adapt, and the choice of pieces from among the ‘possibilities’ is often a difficult one. The transcriptions on this recording are the result of a process of reflection that goes back to the duo’s genesis. Their first attempts at De Falla or Granados took place in the 90s, a time when the youthfulness of the performers certainly contributed to the enthusiasm essential to any musical interpretation, but when a lack of experience was a brake on any idea of immortalizing their concert attempts.

Since then, the Singer & Fischer duo have taken the time to mature, and this latest recording is the result of over thirty years of playing together. Whether in terms of sound timbre, phrasing or balance, the ensemble has achieved a musical union made possible by its longevity, proof that despite all the acceleration and frenzy in today’s world, some goals take time.

Alicia De Larrocha may just have met her match.

The Luxembourg-born pianist Miguel Baselga has now recorded six well-regarded discs of solo piano music by Albéniz, the latest of which includes works for piano and orchestra. In typical BIS fashion the band chosen is the Tenerife Symphony, which celebrates its 75 ^th anniversary this year, under Shanghai-born Lü Jia. This strategy of employing little-known ensembles is a risky one, but in the case of the Singapore Symphony it paid off handsomely. Indeed, the latter’s Seascapes was one of my Recordings of the Year for 2007. Kees Bakels and the Malaysian Philharmonic’s Rimsky-Korsakov collection (BIS-CD-1667) is just as desirable, proof - if it were needed - that second-rank need not mean second-rate.
 
Rapsodia Española, originally written for two pianos and usually heard in one of several versions for piano and orchestra, is presented here in a completion by Spanish musicologist Jacinto Torres. Both the band and soloist make a striking impression in the brooding first bars of the piece, Baselga wonderfully fluent and rhythmically sophisticated. The piano sound is warm and detailed, the bass especially well caught, the brief orchestral tuttis suitably powerful. But it’s the soloist who really impresses, with rollicking rhythms and variegated colours. Yes, the orchestra is a little uncouth at times, but they certainly add terrific swing to the demonic dance that begins at 10:17.
 
An intoxicating start to this recital, and an ideal curtain raiser to the glitter and glitz of the unfinished Navarra, presented here in a version by Spanish pianist Pilar Bayona. One usually hears the somewhat anodyne orchestration by Déodat de Séverac - as played in the recently reviewed Ansermet reissue from Eloquence - but whichever version one prefers there’s no denying the virtuosity of this one. Baselga is simply dazzling, producing bright cascades of sound that will surely gladden the hearts of all Lisztians. As the late Paul Shoemaker remarked in his review of Volume 5, this is pianism of the highest order, and very well recorded to boot.
 
The Piano Sonata No. 5 also has strong links to the virtuoso pianist-composers of the 19 ^th-century; in his liner-notes Jean-Paul Vachon characterises the opening Allegro as Schumannesque, although its reach and cool, free-flowing harmonies seem closer to Chopin at times. As for the tiny Minuet, it’s anything but a genteel interlude; indeed, Baselga despatches it with devilish glee. The real gem, though, is the ensuing Rêverie, with its nod to the north. There’s an ease to the playing here, a command, that’s most impressive, the music’s pointilliste elements rendered with great precision and inner feeling. As for the final Allegro, rhythms are superbly articulated, the BIS engineers conveying the crystalline quality of Baselga’s playing without allowing the sound to harden or become brittle.
 
Albéniz looks back to an earlier century - the 18 ^th - with the Troisième Suite ancienne, whose Minuet and Gavotte are played with a genuine feel for late Baroque style and proportions. The latter is especially fine, the bones of the stately dance fleshed out with writing of great lucidity and charm. As for Azulejos - another unfinished work, this time completed by Enrique Granados - Baselga uncovers a remarkable amount of detail and colour, the music’s gentle ebb and flow adroitly managed. Daringly, he has replaced Granados’s ending with one of his own; it’s seamlessly done, the piece ending with the lightest of flourishes.
 
The brighter acoustic of the Auditorio de Tenerife - not such an issue in the Rapsodia - is something of a disappointment after the warm, velvety sound captured in the Auditorio y palacio de congresos, Zaragoza. The orchestral sound is certainly a tad aggressive, but at least the piano is well placed in the mix. Baselga seems fractionally less involved in this concerto, although as always detail and colour are high on his list of musical priorities. Rêverie is a real joy, even if the orchestral interjections are a little coarse. And despite some delectable rhythms in the closing Allegro, I feel the band is the weakest element here.
 
Ironically, Miguel Baselga first registered on my radar when I heard that his recording of Manuel de Falla’s Pour le tombeau de Couperin (BIS-CD-773) was passed off as a performance by the infamous Joyce Hatto. A compliment of sorts, I suppose, but anyone listening to this new disc will recognise Baselga as a pianist of great range and sophistication. So, even though Alicia De Larrocha will always be favoured in this repertoire, she may just have met her match.  

-- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

Written between 1905 and 1908, the Suite Iberia was and is without any doubt Albeniz's masterpiece. Iberia is an ambitious and remarkably sophisticated composition with a formidable architectural structure of uniquely impressive dimensions. All the pieces are based on traditional Spanish dance rhythms, arranged in a freely artistic and idealized manner. The rhythmical dances smoothly alternate with the \vocal" part, the copla. In traditional Spanish music the copla is a characteristic part of the structure seen in many forms like the saeta (arrow), or a cante jondo (deep song), the song of deep feelings. Albeniz has included a copla in almost all of the pieces in Iberia.

Volume 6 of this complete edition focuses in the main on Albéniz’s richly varied, early salon style. + It includes the dazzling Chopin influenced Vals Champagne, the Estudio de concierto which rivals Liszt for virtuosity, and the famous Tango from España: Seis hojas de Álbum, a set which conjures up Spain in its rhythms, harmonies and sense of drama. + Written a year before the composer’s death, Yvonne en visite! includes a humorous scene during a pupil’s reluctant performance, while the Marcha militar is Albéniz’s earliest work, composed at the age of eight.

An excellent balance of masterpieces, salon music of the very best quality and some unknown quantities. The playing is superb.

Isaac Albeniz needs little introduction to readers of these pages. However, one important fact must always be borne in mind when approaching his piano music. The oeuvre divides largely into two main stylistic entities. The first of these are those by which he has gained considerable fame – the Spanish works. These include the great masterpieces such as Iberia and España. However, there is a considerable body of music that owes its being to the late nineteenth century corpus of salon music. These early works often have little to do with Spanish folk music and are more likely to nod to Chopin and Liszt. Additionally there was a transitional phase when Albeniz began to make use of the Spanish idiom from a largely parochial standpoint. The present CD has examples of all three ‘periods’.
 
The earliest work on this disc is ‘Marcha Militar’ which dates from around 1869. It is also the earliest of the composer’s music to have survived. Albeniz was only nine years old when he wrote it. There is a good tale told about the origins of this work which the careful reader of the excellent liner-notes will enjoy. It is not a bad little piece really, however it hardly foretells what was to come from the composer’s pen.
 
Chronologically, the next work is Deseo - estudio de concierto which was dedicated to the composer’s wife. Franz Liszt and his Hungarian’s ‘Etudes de Concert’ and the Fantasia après un lecture du Dante are almost certainly the models for this highly virtuosic piece. Nevertheless, it is hardly one of Albeniz’s best efforts and is well summed up by the present pianist. He suggests that it is ‘a highly virtuosic pianistic trifle’. It is well worth having for completeness; however I doubt that it will gain a hold in the repertoire. Deseo is translated as ‘desire’.
 
I have always loved the Mazurkas de Salon which balances the commercial requirements of the salon and recital room with the need to provide quality ‘teaching’ pieces. These six numbers were written for the composer to use whilst teaching the daughters of the wealthy. The original piano score of these delightful numbers is reputed to have a cover picture showing visiting cards with the corner turned down and bearing the name of the dedicatees. The six young ladies were Isabel, Casilda, Aurora, Sofia, Christa and Maria. It is fair to suggest that each of these pieces was specially tailored to suit the personality and the technical ability of these young ladies. From a musical point of view, Chopin is never far away, however they are not pastiche. Albeniz imbues each dance with a beauty and poignancy that is entirely his own. They were composed around 1887.
 
Three years later, Albeniz presented the gorgeous L’Automne Waltz. It would be easy to define this piece simply as a reversion to ‘salon’ music, especially coming after some of his ‘Spanish’ influenced pieces such as Recuerdos de viaje and España. However there is nothing trivial about this music. This is a waltz of the highest sophistication and technical creativity. It is written in three sections, preceded by a lugubrious introduction, with each section written in a different key. The coda is impressive with lots of references back to earlier material. It is a perfect example of why a work of this type should be kept in the repertoire and not consigned to history.
 
Ever since hearing my school-friend Alan Kitchen playing Cordoba from the Chants d’Espagne, in 1971, I have wanted a complete recording of this fine work. Strangely no recording ever came my way. Nearly forty years on I have discovered a version that moves, impresses and fulfils all my expectations of the piece. I can battle my way through parts of this suite on my piano; however there is nothing to beat a superb professional recording.
 
The Cantos de España, to give the work its Spanish title was originally conceived as a suite of three movements – the Prelude, Orientale and Sous le Palmier. These were published in 1892. In 1898 two further movements were added Cordoba and Seguidillas. The liner-notes sum up the work’s musical style with a quotation from Walter Aaron Clark who wrote that ‘the suite represents the furthest advance in Albeniz’s Spanish style to date in its seriousness, harmonic richness, and formal variety’. The work has the sights, sounds and location of Andalusia as its inspiration.
 
The opening Prelude is full of exuberance and excitement. This is better-known in the version for guitar, however it sounds well on the piano and the predominantly Flamenco sound of the first and last sections mimics the guitar well. The Orientale, in spite of its name, is based on tunes from Andalusia. This is a moody piece in comparison to the preceding Prelude. Sous le Palmier is written with the rhythm of the habañera, which is a dance originating in Cuba. The piece balances good humour with a touch of melancholy. Cordoba, which I discovered all those years ago, is a little tone poem. It opens with the sound of the bells of the town churches. This is followed by a hymn. The spell is broken by an outburst of flamenco dancing and a big romantic tune. The work closes with a reminiscence of the hymn tune before concluding with a final dance. Seguidillas is once again pure Andalusian folk music with the dance rhythms being complemented by brief ‘coplas’.
 
Altogether a great work and a superb performance. I am glad to say that my school friend is still making music both on the piano and the organ. I am extremely grateful to him for introducing me to Albeniz’s music.
 
The Improvisation is an interesting little piece. Only published in 2009, it was transcribed by Milton Laufer from a wax cylinder recorded by the composer in 1903. The work is a short two-minute study of dance rhythms that the composer was planning to use. It is a lively, vibrant piece of work that explores syncopation, alternating rhythms and unison writing in the manner of a recitative. The music of España is called to mind. There were three improvisations recorded and this present one is the first. So there are good things to look forward to in subsequent volumes of Albeniz’s ‘complete’ piano music!
 
Yvonne en visite! is simply charming. It was composed the year before the composer’s death and forms part of a collection of pieces for ‘children young and old’ assembled by the professors of the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Albeniz’s contribution was a musical depiction of events in the life of Yvonne Guidé who was the daughter of Guillaume Guidé, co-director of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. With a Satie-like commentary written into the piano score the composer describes the visit of the young pianist and her being made to perform in front of Albeniz. The poor child is nervous and makes a number of mistakes. Her mother becomes more and more annoyed with her and threatens her with ten days of Hanon – which was a terrifying book of piano exercises ‘popular’ at that time. The work is in two short movements – La révérence and Joyeuse rencontre et quelques pénibles événements (Joyful meeting and painful events!).
 
I enjoyed this CD and would recommend it to all enthusiasts of Isaac Albeniz’s piano music. It presents an excellent balance of masterpieces, salon music of the very best quality and some unknown quantities. The playing is superb. Miguel Baselga is always sympathetic to this music – whether it is technically difficult or within the grasp of Grade 6-ers like myself. He is never condescending towards the Mazurkas and the Waltz and plays them with attention and obvious love and enthusiasm. The liner-notes written by Jean-Pascal Vachon are informative and provide all the information required for a good understanding of each of these pieces. The sound quality is excellent as would be expected from BIS.
 
Finally, some of these pieces are recorded elsewhere, however as far as I am aware, the Marcha, the Improvisation and Deseo are not currently in the CD catalogues, apart from the present disc. The other works have precious few recordings available. This apparent lack of interest does not imply that any of this music lacks quality, interest or inspiration: many of these works are little masterpieces.

-- John France, MusicWeb International

In the latest volume of this critically admired series, a number of rarely heard pieces from Albéniz’s first compositional phase can be savored. They were composed between 1881 and 1892 and reveal the variety and flair of which he was capable, even in the smallest of musical forms, such as the delightful mazurkas. The Siete estudios (Seven Studies) are no mere exercises – rather they fuse the color of Iberian music with the rigor of Central European traditions. Les Saisons is an evocative portrait of the seasons and can be seen as a forerunner of the impressionistic writing that would soon appear in French music.

Issac Albeniz, the pre-eminent Spanish composer was a prolific composer, especially of piano music. Presented here is a collection of his works performed by the celebrated pianist, Martin Jones. Included in this collection are pieces that were left unfinished at the time of Albeniz’s death and completed by Martin Jones. Martin Jones has been one of Britain’s most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many major projects include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Stravinsky, Korngold, Szymanowski, Granados, Guastavino, Mompou, Ernesto Halffter, Joaquin Nin, Has Gál, Jean Françaix, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Alan Richardson.

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REVIEW:

Altogether this is a well stocked and representative survey of Albéniz's colourful and imaginative piano music and Martin Jones is as always a convincing advocate; I am always impressed with character and panache that he brings to all that he plays. The liner notes are informative though are in English only. A marvellous collection of the best of Albéniz' piano music.

– MusicWeb International

Mallorca - Seville - Granada - Co?rdoba - mentioning these cities conjures up memories and imaginations that are associated with the magic of Spain. Nobody knew better how to capture these pictures in music than the piano virtuoso Isaac Albe?niz. The American- Italian guitarist Stephen Marchionda who lives in Spain, a renowned interpreter of Spanish music, lends new colours to this musical declaration of love.

Stephen Marchionda resides in Barcelona and is a proven expert in the field of Spanish music. This production is his second release on MDG, once again in the finest 2+2+2 SACD technique, which makes the listener feel that he or she is there in person. A fine and opulent result!

Eleanor Alberga explores the whole gamut of the human experience in WILD BLUE YONDER, an equally diverse and coherent set of four contemporary chamber music pieces. While written over the course of twenty-two years, these pieces burst the limits of both space and time. No-Man's-Land Lullaby reaches back over a century to World War I; Shining Gate of Morpheus enters the realm of the mystical; Succubus Moon explores the dark sides of the human psyche; and The Wild Blue Yonder offers a glimpse into a world that is at once alien and wonderful. Undauntedly, positively unsettling album; perfect listening for these unsettling times.