Born in Sant Feliu de Torelló, Catalonia, in 1714, Manuel Espona died on 9 January 1779 at the Monastery of Montserrat, where he had been...

Born in Sant Feliu de Torelló, Catalonia, in 1714, Manuel Espona died on 9 January 1779 at the Monastery of Montserrat, where he had been an acolyte between 1724 and 1733, studying with Father Vicenç Pressiach. Montserrat was one of the main centers of musical study and practice in eighteenth-century Spain, and Espona, who took holy orders in 1733, was unquestionably one of its leading composers and teachers (among his pupils was Antonio Soler). His single-movement Piano Sonatas are written in the typical Italian-influenced tradition of the first half of the eighteenth century. This is reflected not only in the way he develops a highly original musical discourse, but also in his choice of key for each sonata, his modulations, his painstaking and elaborate ornamentation, his innovative rhythmic textures and a whole host of differences that lift these works above the rest, turning them into a genuine musical treasure trove.

Hailed by international critics as “A truly virtuoso musician of the world elite” ("The Daily Telegraph" Melani Mestre has risen to become one of the most internationally acclaimed pianists and conductors of his generation. He is particularly a champion of the repertoire of his native country Spain. For Hyperion he recorded the Piano Concertos by Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados.