Mac’nClassicalCheese - Feb 1, 2024

This week's focus is on Spanish music, and more specifically, Spanish guitar music. The most famous composer in that genre is Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999). We will also hear from an earlier Spanish composer today, Isaac Albéniz, or rather, Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (1860-1909) who, as many pianists do, composed primarily for piano, and we will hear a movement from his Suite Española No. 1, "Granada." This movement is meant to be the first in the suite, but for some reason in this recording it is listed as movement 4. Could be a publishing error, could be because people disagree about the correct order. Who knows? I do not. Moving on. So it's a great piece, and it was originally written for piano but we will hear an orchestrated version today. We also have some non-spanish composers for pieces that either have Spanish influence in them, like Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, or that fit with sub-theme today (romantic melodies), like Bruch's Scottish Fantasy. Enjoy!