Cantos

May 23rd: centenary of the great pianist Alicia de Larrocha. Iberia was a favorite of Larrocha, who performed and recorded this absolute summit of Spanish piano music very often. This is the original Hispavox recording of 1962, a feverish rendition full of panache that has rarely been equaled in the discography. It comes with some other hits by Isaac Albéniz.

A little over a hundred years have passed since Enrique Granados met his death in the English Channel. After an acclaimed concert tour that took him to New York at the height of World War I, a German submarine sank the ship on which he was returning to Europe. Many manuscripts by the famous pianist were also lost in the icy waters and must have included priceless treasures – as we may gather from the interpretations of his surviving works by Maria Luisa Cantos, the grande dame of Spanish piano music, on her latest recording. After Granados had initially been brought to safety, he plunged into the water to save his beloved wife and lost his life in the effort – lending a romantic element to this extremely tragic episode.