Explorer Set: Spanish Edition

 
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Explorer Set: Spanish Edition

[ Piano Classics / 10 CD ]

Release Date: Friday 20 February 2026

This item is only available to us via Special Import.

A budget introduction to the riches of the Spanish piano repertoire, including many critically acclaimed recordings.

While Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples, he spent the greater part of his career on the Iberian peninsula, and died in Madrid in 1757 as the composer of 555 keyboard sonatas which would, more than any other single body of work, bring Spanish idioms into the mainstream of European classical music. Many organists and keyboard composers preceded him, but few if any could match his spirit of caprice and restless invention as he fused Hispanic rhythms with the fairly new form of the keyboard sonata.

Thus it is fitting that Scarlatti is the earliest composer on this 'Spanish Explorer' box. His music was soon taken up as a model by native composers of subsequent generations, such as Manuel Espona (1714-1779) and Antonio Soler (1729-1783), in writing quirky single-movement sonatas of unpredictably arching melodies and sometimes frenetic developments which evoke the spirit of native dances such as the fandango.

While CD 1 of this box is an imaginary 'opera for piano', staged by Jean-François Dichamp, the principle could be extended to the box as a whole. Dichamp's opera is arranged around the pillars of the monumental cycle of Goyescas by Enrique Granados (1867-1916). This cycle, along with the Iberia of Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), then extended the reach of Spanish piano music and defined its character in a late-Romantic world.

While neither Albéniz nor Granados were modernists by temperament, it is tempting to speculate how they and their music would have developed but for their early deaths in the first years of the last century. Instead the creative flame was passed to Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) and Joaquín Turina (1882-1949) and while de Falla's original output for piano is relatively vestigial, it includes the astonishing Fantasia Baetica which invites comparison with contemporary piano masterpieces by Bartók and Prokofiev in its new pouring of 'national' character into the virtuoso piano tradition.

As the most recent composer in this Spanish Explorer box, Federico Mompou (1893-1987) is also the least definably 'Spanish' - not least because he was a Catalan born and bred. The music itself defies close analysis, much like that of his model Erik Satie, and yet its aura of intense contemplation has proved deeply rewarding for countless pianists and listeners alike.

Tracks:

CD1
Enrique Granados 1867-1916
Goyescas
1. Los Requiebros 9'25
The Compliments -
Les Compliments Galants
2. Coloquio en la Reja
(Duo de amor) 11'25
Conversation at the Window
(Love duet)
Conversation à la Fenêtre
(Duo d'amour)

Domenico Scarlatti 1685-1757
3. Sonata in E flat major K.193 3'27

Enrique Granados
Goyescas
4. El Fandango de Candil 6'23
Fandango by Candlelight
Fandango aux Chandelles

Domenico Scarlatti
5. Sonata in D minor K.141 2'55

Antonio Soler 1729-1783
6. Sonata No.21 in C sharp minor 3'01

Enrique Granados
Goyescas
7. Quejas, o La Maja y el Ruiseñor 6'33
Complaint, or the Girl and the Nightingale
Plaintes, ou la Jeune Fille et le Rossignol

Domenico Scarlatti
8. Sonata in F sharp minor K.25 2'59

Enrique Granados
Goyescas
9. El Amor y la Muerte (Balada) 12'47
Ballad of Love and Death
L'Amour et la Mort (Ballade)

Domenico Scarlatti
10. Sonata in G minor K.8 4'41

Enrique Granados
Goyescas
11. Epílogo: Serenata del Espectro 8'16
Epilogue: Serenade to a Spectre
Epilogue: Sérénade du Spectre

Domenico Scarlatti
12. Sonata in E minor K.198 2'14

Jean-François Dichamp piano

Total time: 74'14
Recording: 26-27 February 2018, DD Studio Barcelona, Spain
CD2
Isaac Albéniz 1860-1909
Iberia, Book I
1. Evocación 5'33
2. El Puerto 4'09
3. Corpus Christi en Sevilla 8'34

Iberia, Book II
4. Rondeña 6'51
5. Almería 10'02
6. Triana 5'40

Iberia, Book III
7. El Albaicín 7'31
8. El polo 6'38
9. Lavapiés 7'31

Iberia, Book IV
10. Málaga 5'20
11. Jerez 9'47
12. Eritaña 5'40

Esteban Sánchez piano

Total time: 83'25
Recording: 1968-1974, Casino de l'Alianca del Poblenou, Barcelona, Spain

CD3
Isaac Albéniz 1860-1909
Suite española No.1 Op.47
1. No.1 Granada (Serenata) 5'09
2. No.2 Cataluña (Curranda) 2'36
3. No.3 Sevilla (Sevillanas) 4'53
4. No.4. Cádiz (Canción) 4'31
5. No.5 Asturias (Leyenda) 6'40
6. No.6 Aragón (Fantasía) 5'09
7. No.7 Castilla (Seguidillas) 3'09
8. No.8 Cuba (Capricho) 6'04

Suite española No.2 Op.97
9. No.1 Zaragoza 3'54
10. No.2 Sevilla 7'12

Suite ancienne No.3
11. No.1 Minuetto 3'37
12. No.2 Gavota 3'57

13. Zambra granadina
(Danse orientale) 3'18

14. Cadiz (Gaditana) 4'26

Sebastian Stanley piano

Total time: 64'43
Recording: 5-6 May 2022, Studio 150 Bethlehemkerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

CD4
Joaquín Turina 1882-1949
Sevilla. Suite pintoresca, Op.2 (1909)
1. I. Bajo los naranjos
(Beneath the Orange Trees) 6'15
2. II. El Jueves Santo a medianoche
(Maundy Thursday at Midnight) 8'01
3. III. La Feria (The Fair) 5'59

Cinco danzas gitanas, Op.55 (1929)
4. I. Zambra 3'43
5. II. Danza de la seducción
(Dance of Seduction) 3'39
6. III. Danza ritual
(Ritual Dance) 2'56
7. IV. Generalife 1'52
8. V. Sacro-Monte 1'58

Danzas fantásticas, Op.22 (1919)
9. I. Exaltación (Exaltation) 5'15
10. II. Ensueño (Fantasy) 6'13
11. III. Orgía (Orgy) 5'25

Pedro Piquero piano

Total time: 51'48
Recording: 12-14 October, 2023, Palacio de Congresos de Villanueva de la Serena, Spain

CD5
Manuel Font y de Anta 1889-1936
Andalucía
I Cuaderno
1. En el parque de María Luisa 9'35
2. Macarena 6'54
3. En la Alameda de Hércules 7'05

II Cuaderno
4. Alhambra 6'40
5. El barrio de la Viña 9'31
6. Perchel 10'54

III Cuaderno
7. En la Mezquita 6'06
8. En un patio sevillano 8'02
9. En los Toros 6'08

Riccardo Schwartz piano

Total time: 71'05
Recording: 15 June 2018 by Riccardo Schwartz ClassicaViva Recording Studio (Dorno, Italy)

CD6
Manuel de Falla 1876-1946
Dances from
"El Sombrero De Tres Picos"
1 Danza del Molinero 2'30
2. Danza de la Molinera 3'54
3. Danza de los Vecinos 3'30

4. Danza de La Vida Breve 3'29
5. Homenaje de Claude Debussy 3'26
6. Serenata 4'03
7. Mazurka 5'10
8. Serenata Andaluza 5'45
9. Nocturno 4'36
10. Cancion 2'09
11. Fantasia Baetica 13'46

Benita Meshulam piano

Total time: 52'22
Recording: 15-17 January 2004, Doopsgezinde Remonstrantse Kerk Deventer, The Netherlands

CD7
Manuel de Falla 1876-1946
Cuatro Piezas Españolas
1. Aragonesa 3'38
2. Cubana 4'17
3. Montanesa 5'12
4. Andaluza 4'40

5. Ritual Fire Dance
(from: El Amor Brujo) 3'49
6. Cortejo de Gnomos 2'20
7. Vals capricho 4'06
8. Allegro de concierto 10'44
9. Canto de los remeros del Volga 4'14
10. Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas 4'12

Benita Meshulam piano

Total time: 47'16
Recording: 15-17 January 2004, Doopsgezinde Remonstrantse Kerk Deventer, The Netherlands

CD8
Federico Mompou 1899-1940
Música callada
Primer cuaderno (1959)
1. I Angelico 1'44
2. II Lent 1'27
3. III Placide 2'00
4. IV Afflitto e penoso 2'07
5. V 2'37
6. VI Lento 1'57
7. VII Lento 3'31
8. VIII Semplice 0'44
9. IX Lento 2'36

Segundo cuaderno (1962)
10. X Lento-cantabile 1'09
11. XI Allegretto 1'16
12. XII Lento 2'32
13. XIII Tranquilo-très calme 2'35
14. XIV Severo-sérieux 2'11
15. XV Lento-plaintif 2'45
16. XVI Calme 2'27

Tercer cuaderno (1965)
17. XVII Lento 2'13
18. XVIII Luminoso 2'01
19. XIX Tranquillo 1'58
20. XX Calme 3'26
21. XXI Lento 3'21

Cuarto cuaderno (1967)
22. XXII Molto lento e tranquillo 1'48
23. XXIII Calme, avec clarté 2'13
24. XXIV Moderato 2'39
25. XXV 3'27
26. XXVI Lento 3'11
27. XXVII Lento molto 3'26
28. XXVIII Lento 5'12

Alessandro Deljavan piano

Total time: 70'44
Recording: 10/04/2016 Palazzo Pennisi, Acireale, Sicily, Italy

CD9
Federico Mompou 1899-1940
Cançons i danses (1921-1962)
1. I (1921) 2'58
2. II (1918-1924) 1'57
3. III (1926) 4'50
4. IV (1928) 3'24
5. V (1942) 3'49
6. VI (1942) 3'58
7. VII (1944) 2'56
8. VIII (1946) 3'56
9. IX (1948) 5'10
10. X (1953) 2'33
11. XI (1961) 4'39
12. XII (1962) 3'46

13. Canción de cuna (1951) 4'26

Cants màgics (1917-1919)
14. Enèrgic 1'26
15. Obscur 1'58
16. Profond-lent 2'27
17. Misteriós 1'59
18. Calma 2'23

Paisajes (1942-1960)
19. La fuente y la campana (1942) 3'35
20. El lage (1947) 5'01
21. Carros de Galicia (1960) 4'11

Alessandro Deljavan piano

Total time: 73'26
Recording: 1/04/2016 Palazzo Pennisi, Acireale, Sicily, Italy

CD10
Manuel Espona 1714-1779
Sonatas para Tecla
1. Sonata No.1 in D minor 4'40
2. Sonata No.2 in D minor 2'27
3. Sonata No.17 in A minor 3'36
4. Sonata No.3 in B flat 5'42
5. Sonata No.4 in B flat 5'05
6. Sonata No.5 in G minor 4'57
7. Sonata No.6 in G minor 3'51
8. Sonata No.16 in G minor 5'44
9. Sonata No.11 in E flat 5'58
10. Sonata No.12 in E flat 4'17
11. Sonata No.7 in C minor 6'02
12. Sonata No.13 in G 5'27
13. Sonata No.24 in G 5'21
14. Sonata No.9 in E 5'04

Melani Mestre piano

Total time: 68'44
Recording: 21 September 2013, Auditori Can Roig i Torres - Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Barcelona, Spain