Alicia de Larrocha plays Albéniz Piano Favourites

“Alicia de Larrocha, who has always been in a class of her own as an interpreter of Spanish music offers a selection from Albéniz's piano works apart from Iberia. Some music here is familiar-the ultra-famous Tango, the brilliant Seguidillas, the Falla-like Aragón and the Sevilla (from Suite Española), or the Asturias in Cantos de España but there are good things which are less known. High among these I would put the Zambra Granadina, a gipsy dance with augmented seconds, the melancholy and subtle Mallorca (superbly played here), and Zaragoza, whose luminous virtuosity forecasts the style of Iberia. If you want to know how this music should be played, the right kind of cantabile, or tonal nuances, the amount of rubato it will take, listen to de Larrocha’s performances.” (Gramophone) “a stimulating example of the younger de Larrocha playing with enormous dash and a glowing palette” (Penguin Guide)