Spanish composer Ernesto Halffter was younger than his mentor Falla and the other giants of modern Spanish nationalism, and slightly older than the more popular and populist Rodrigo. He has never quite gotten his due, at least outside Spain, but several new recordings reveal him, even as a young man, as a composer wearing bright colors of his own. The centerpiece of this album, Sonatina, started life as a one-act ballet, perhaps inspired by the similar dimensions of Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat. Composed in 1927, it ...
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Spanish composer Ernesto Halffter was younger than his mentor Falla and the other giants of modern Spanish nationalism, and slightly older than the more popular and populist Rodrigo. He has never quite gotten his due, at least outside Spain, but several new recordings reveal him, even as a young man, as a composer wearing bright colors of his own. The centerpiece of this album, Sonatina, started life as a one-act ballet, perhaps inspired by the similar dimensions of Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat. Composed in 1927, it reflects Falla's influence and also that of Stravinsky in its neo-classic orientation and in the dry quality of its harmonic transitions. Halffter intended this piano arrangement as his definitive version of the work, however. As interpreted by Argentine pianist Mirian Conti, it's quite a find, with a highly enjoyable, kaleidoscopic mix of Renaissance and Spanish dances. Sample the slow Zarabanda track 5, for a taste; the economy of Stravinsky is definitely in the composer's mind, but...
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