Delightful Spanish Dances
I had been listening to some very different types of music when a friend offered to lend me this CD of Enrique Granados' (1867 -- 1916) "Twelve Spanish Dances" performed by Spanish pianist Rosa Torres-Pardo. The CD was a welcome change of pace from my more usual and more solemn listening. I have heard these dances before in concert but not on CD, and I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time with them. Rosa Torres-Pardo was entirely new to me. She plays these works with elan and high spirit. This is a budget CD and a fine choice for those wanting to get to know Granados.
Granados' music straddles the late 19th -- early 20th century, with the Spanish Dances dating from 1889 when the composer was 22. They are arranged in four books of three dances each. The Dances are frequently arranged for the guitar and other instruments, but it is good to hear them on the piano, the instrument for which they were composed.
This music reminded me of the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, with its guitar-like strumming, echoes of castanets, strong and varied rhythms, and lightness. The music also reminded me of the dance sets of Brahms and Dvorak, written at almost the same time as these pieces, and sharing their popular appeal and nationalistic celebrations. Yet, these pieces by Granados are a delight in themselves, and shouldn't be analyzed as much as savored and enjoyed.
The pieces are written in different dance forms. Some of the dances took me away to long, hot romantic evenings while others are flamboyant and lively. The first set of three dances includes two flashy outer pieces, "Minueto" and "Fandango" surrounding a much more plaintive haunting middle dance, "Oriental". The second set includes the most famous of these dances, "Andaluza", a strongly rhythmical piece, together with a flowing, pastoral work "Villanesca" and a brief finale "Rondalla Aragonesca", which gradually increases in intensity and includes a song in its middle section. The third book of dances begins with a bouncy "Valenciana" followed by a work with alow singing theme in the treble and strumming rhythms, "Sardana". The concluding "Mazurca" is a flamboyant showpiece. The final book of dances opens with a famous "Dance Triste" . The second dance, "Zambra", the longest of the collection is a snappy, rhythmical piece, and the final light "Arabesque" reminded me of Spain's Moorish heritage and of Robert Schumann's piano work of the same name. The CD closes with a shimmering, impressionistic piece, "Estudio" published after Granados' death.
Listening to these dances brought home to me again the variety there is in music and how much joy there is to be gained by exploring. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear the Spanish Dances in depth and to try to communicate something of the music to those who might like to hear it.
Robin Friedman
