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Thursday 27 March 2014

Albeniz: Cadiz


Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual 
Hardly flamboyant at all!

Isaac Albeniz, 1860 -1909, was a virtuoso Spanish pianist and composer. I love his music which never fails to put me in a good mood so I hope, if you spare a few minutes to listen, that you will get that same pleasure! I have put links to some of his works at the end of this post. Although he never composed explicitly for the guitar much of his work has been successfully transposed for that instrument and some of his compositions are better known these days as guitar works. I am thinking principally of pieces such as Asturias.
He is most famous for the Suite Española  and his other suite Iberia, both of which are based on specific styles of regional Spanish folk music. The Suite Española consists of eight pieces of which my favourites are Granada and Cadiz. Both of these have been transposed into fabulous guitar versions. Here are links to piano and guitar versions of both:
During the Segovia piece you will see a photographic selection of locations in Granada, Spain starting with the Alhambra Palace, a truly magical place in a beautiful city. I don't suppose I'll ever get there again but I've got the music forever.

12 comments:

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

Bazza, I thought I would love this music more on guitar, but they were all equally beautiful.

Music can change your mood and put you in a better place.

Unknown said...

Granada: Andrés Segovia on guitar is so beautiful. I love that instrument, especially when it's played like softly lapping water!

bazza said...

SO,AC: Hi Arleen. I agree so much with that sentiment and I'm glad you like it!

bazza said...

Hi Wendy: I think that, as lovely as the piano music is, it is even more charming on the guitar; especially in the hands of a master like Segovia or John Williams. Segovia once said of John Williams "God has laid his finger on his brow".

Anonymous said...

Hot from the desk of the appalling, yet fabulous, Sir Tom Eagerly:
Hey Bazza, that old cove looks just like one of my distant relatives - my great-grandmother. She paid the piano too! Cheers, old chap.

bazza said...

Why don't you have another vat of wine Sir Tom?

Sherry Ellis said...

Thank you for sharing the music. I enjoyed listening to all of it!

bazza said...

Hi Sherry. It is lovely in all it's forms. I suppose that if the music is good it can work in various formats.

All Consuming said...

Interesting. I prefer the guitar for the first piece, the piano for the second. However I find the chap playing the piano in the second piece irritating. Yes, I know, I'm sure he speaks well of me eh? heh :)

bazza said...

I know what you mean about the second pianist. You want to punch him in the face don't you? Funnily enough he spat on the floor when I mentioned your name to him :-)

klahanie said...

Hi human, bazza,

I knew you would love his music. Some guitar music. Did you enjoy his concerts, old human chap?

Penny, the pawsitive host of the Alphabark Challenge, 2014!

bazza said...

Penny, I think it's just great that you are giving Gary a well-deserved rest by writing all of his comments for him. I can't get my cat Ginger to help me with my Blog at all!