ALICIA DE LARROCHA - Icon : The Complete EMI Recordings (2010) 8xCD BOX-SET / RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

EMI's eight-CD box set of Alicia de Larrocha's early recordings is entirely devoted to the works of Spanish composers, whose music she championed for decades. Most of the tracks were originally recorded on Hispavox in the 1960s, though an additional recording from 1992 helps round out the package, while the final disc offers her 1971 Hunter College recital with soprano Victoria de los Angeles. For the most part, the compilation is a generous survey of piano music by Antonio Soler, Enriqué Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Turina, and a piano concerto by Xavier Montsalvatge; the song recital also includes selections by Antonio Literes, Blas de Laserna, and Gerónimo Giménez, so the presentation covers Spanish compositions from the Classical to the modern eras. De Larrocha was greatly admired for her dedication to this repertoire, and her legacy starts with these recordings, which have been remastered to have the best possible sound. The crispness of the reproduction reveals the precision and delicacy of de Larrocha's playing, and the closeness of the recordings in many cases gives her realistic presence. While de Larrocha is perhaps best remembered for the music offered here, her discography on other labels includes her great recordings of works by Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, and Debussy, so this package only gives a partial view of her numerous accomplishments.  by Blair Sanderson  
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PATRICIA PETIBON - Melancolia (2011) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Patricia Petibon's album Melancolía: Spanish Arias and Songs is a result of the soprano's lifelong fascination with the music and culture of Spain, with a special interest in the ways Spanish and French influences have cross-pollinated. She has put together an exceptionally attractive selection of songs and arias from zarzuelas, most of them likely to be unfamiliar to general audiences. Petibon is known for her light, silvery coloratura, and her gift for inhabiting her roles, both dramatic and comic, with great spirit and penetrating insight. This repertoire doesn't especially exploit her coloratura abilities, but it gives free range to her expressive talents, from the feral intensity of the traditional Yoruba chant Ogundé uareré and the unrestrained yawps of Giménez's aria "La tarantula é un bicho múmalo" to the suave lyricism of the familiar Aria from Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. Even at interpretive extremes, Petibon maintains her characteristic tonal purity and clarity; the final note of the Villa-Lobos rings like a bell. The album concludes with a work newly written for Petibon by French composer Nicolas Bacri, a four-song cycle, Melodías de la melancolía. It's a terrific piece that at its best recalls Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs, which is very high praise. Fans of Spanish music and anyone who loves Petibon's distinctive performances are likely to be delighted with this album. Josep Pons leads Orquesta Nacional de España in idiomatic, energetic accompaniment.  by Stephen Eddins   

PATRICIA PETIBON - Melancolia

 [2011] DG / FLAC / scans

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SYLVIA SCHWARTZ / MALCOLM MARTINEAU - Canciones Españolas [2013] FLAC

Sylvia Schwartz / Malcolm Martineau 

Canciones Españolas 

2013 - Hyperion CDA 67954 / FLAC / scans

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XAVIER MONTSALVATGE - Piano Music [NAXOS] V.A. / 4CD

XAVIER MONTSALVATGE [1912-2002]

Xavier Montsalvatge - Piano Music, Vol. 1 [Jordi Masó]

01. 3 Impromptus - No. 1. Molto delicato    [0:02:28.66]

02. 3 Impromptus - No. 2. Semplice    [0:02:17.45]

03. 3 Impromptus - No. 3. Leggero    [0:03:34.48]

04. Siciliana    [0:02:57.05]

05. 3 Divertimentos - No. 1. Con decision    [0:02:28.69]

06. 3 Divertimentos - No. 2. Muy dulce    [0:01:56.73]

07. 3 Divertimentos - No. 3. Vivo    [0:02:11.28]

08. Ritmos    [0:03:26.24]

09. Elegia a Maurice Ravel    [0:02:55.30]

10. Divagacion    [0:03:09.07]

11. Sonatina para Yvette - I. Vivo e spiritoso    [0:03:13.28]

12. Sonatina para Yvette - II. Moderato molto    [0:04:02.20]

13. Sonatina para Yvette - III. Allegretto    [0:02:15.27]

14. Sketch    [0:02:32.48]

15. Recondita Armonia - I. Allegro con brio    [0:07:04.41]

16. Recondita Armonia - II. Andante sostenuto    [0:06:31.36]

17. Recondita Armonia - III. Allegro con brio    [0:01:24.52]

18. Recondita Armonia - IV. Moderato    [0:07:03.36]

Xavier Montsalvatge - Piano Music, Vol. 2 [Jordi Masó]

CD: Xavier Montsalvatge - Piano Music, Vol. 2 [Jordi Masó]

01. Alegoria a la memoria de Joaquin Turina    [0:03:56.42]

02. 3 piezas para la mano izquierda - No. 1. Si, a Mompou    [0:03:23.61]

03. 3 piezas para la mano izquierda - No. 2. Berceuse a la memoria de Oscar Espla    [0:05:21.48]

04. 3 piezas para la mano izquierda - No. 3. Una pagina para Rubinstein    [0:03:51.13]

05. El arca de Noe - I. La oveja    [0:01:22.21]

06. El arca de Noe - II. El gallo    [0:00:32.45]

07. El arca de Noe - III. El elefante    [0:01:24.70]

08. El arca de Noe - IV. La pulga    [0:00:36.23]

09. El arca de Noe - V. El gato    [0:01:29.26]

10. El arca de Noe - VI. El canguro    [0:00:45.45]

11. El arca de Noe - VII. Vals    [0:01:02.65]

12. Schubertiana    [0:02:24.53]

13. Pastoral d'Automne    [0:02:17.66]

14. Milonga    [0:02:14.61]

15. Impromptu en el Generalife    [0:02:10.68]

16. 5 ocells en llibertat - No. 1. El pardal    [0:00:46.46]

17. 5 ocells en llibertat - No. 2. El rossinyol    [0:01:26.56]

18. 5 ocells en llibertat - No. 3. La merla    [0:01:37.67]

19. 5 ocells en llibertat - No. 4. El pinsa    [0:01:34.27]

20. 5 ocells en llibertat - No. 5. El cucut    [0:01:40.30]

21. Bressoleig    [0:01:30.17]

22. Alborada en Aurinx    [0:05:41.31]

23. Improviso epilogal    [0:01:52.56]

24. Concierto de Albayzin - I. Con spirito    [0:06:53.51]

25. Concierto de Albayzin - II. Adagietto    [0:08:26.21]

26. Concierto de Albayzin - III. Moderato - Allegretto    [0:05:00.31]

Xavier Montsalvatge - Music for Two Pianos

[Masó-Villalba]

01. Barcelona Blues    [0:05:17.22]

02. Calidoscopio - I. Aproximacion a la fuga    [0:05:06.62]

03. Calidoscopio - II. Capricho sobre la banalidad camuflada    [0:05:19.32]

04. Calidoscopio - III. Collage para Albeniz    [0:02:49.50]

05. Homenatge    [0:01:59.50]

06. 3 Divertimentos (version for 2 pianos) - No. 1. Deciso    [0:02:29.90]

07. 3 Divertimentos (version for 2 pianos) - No. 2. Dolce    [0:01:52.29]

08. 3 Divertimentos (version for 2 pianos) - No. 3. Vivo    [0:02:16.14]

09. Sum Vermis    [0:15:30.02]

10. 5 invocaciones al Crucificado - No. 1. De passione Christi    [0:04:11.05]

11. 5 invocaciones al Crucificado - No. 2. Pianto della Madonna    [0:04:07.62]

12. 5 invocaciones al Crucificado - No. 3. La Vierge couronnee    [0:03:01.49]

13. 5 invocaciones al Crucificado - No. 4. Lamentatio    [0:06:32.84]

14. 5 invocaciones al Crucificado - No. 5. D'oracio de temps    [0:02:38.42]

Gerhard-Montsalvatge-Cassadó [Piano Trios]

[Trio Arriaga]

01. Gerhard: Piano Trio No. 1 - I. Modere    [0:08:59.48]

02. Gerhard: Piano Trio No. 1 - II. Tres calme    [0:08:37.22]

03. Gerhard: Piano Trio No. 1 - III. Vif    [0:07:07.00]

04. Montsalvatge: Piano Trio - I. Balada a Dulcinea    [0:04:17.64]

05. Montsalvatge: Piano Trio - II. Dialogo con Mompou    [0:04:19.58]

06. Montsalvatge: Piano Trio - III. Ritornello    [0:03:48.76]

07. Cassado: Piano Trio in C major - I. Allegro risoluto    [0:07:10.52]

08. Cassado: Piano Trio in C major - II. Tempo moderato e pesante - Allegro giusto    [0:04:51.00]

09. Cassado: Piano Trio in C major - III. Recitativo: Moderato ed appassionato    [0:04:24.69]

XAVIER MONTSALVATGE [1912-2002]

Complete Piano Woks 

Naxos / 4CD / FLAC

O Púbis da Rosa