Viviana Vannucchi

Spanish music reached a peak early in the 20th century, with Enrique Granados Goyescas numbered amongst the crowning masterpieces of its day. Infused with the innovations of Debussy and Ravel, and inspired by the colours and emotional depth of Goyas paintings and engravings, the Goyescas are like brilliant and psychologically elaborate improvisations filled with seductively ornamented harmonies. The cycle also conceals a narrative of love and death that Granados would later develop into an opera. Multi-award-winning pianist Viviana Lasaracinas playing was admired for its beautiful liquid tone and summed up as breathtaking in the New York Concert Review.

Sergei Istomin and Viviana Sofronitsky made an accurate and unconventional choice of instruments for this recording of Bach’s Sonatas for Viola da gamba: a brilliant and resonant viol built by Jacob Stainer in 1655 and a Paul McNulty copy of a 1749 Silbermann fortepiano. The result is a unique, invigorating and captivating blend of tonal colours that conjure up a unique sound which emphasizes the melodic qualities of these famous works.

Spanish music reached a peak early in the 20th century, with Enrique Granados Goyescas numbered amongst the crowning masterpieces of its day. Infused with the innovations of Debussy and Ravel, and inspired by the colours and emotional depth of Goyas paintings and engravings, the Goyescas are like brilliant and psychologically elaborate improvisations filled with seductively ornamented harmonies.