Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Iberia suite for piano, B. 47 (1905-1909)
Nikolai Lugansky, 2010
[0:00] Evocación, in A♭ minor (Cahier 1)
[5:52] Triana, in F♯ minor (Cahier 2)
[10:44] Lavapiés, in D♭ major (Cahier 3)
“Iberia is a suite for piano written by Isaac Albéniz in the last years of his life (1905-1909), in many ways summing up his career. It consists of 4 notebooks, each of which includes 3 pieces. The cycle in its entirety is rarely performed, as its total takes about an hour and a half. It is one of Albéniz's most famous works, his unsurpassed masterpiece, praised by Debussy and Messiaen, who noted that "Albéniz's Iberia is a marvel of piano art; perhaps it ranks first among the most brilliant works for the king of instruments - the piano." Stylistically, "Iberia" adheres to Impressionism, especially in the fragments recreating musical images of Spain. In different parts of the suite one can hear echoes of dances and songs of different cities and provinces of the country, national customs, traditions, etc., "see" pictures of folk life. From the technical point of view, this is one of the most difficult compositions of the piano repertoire, requiring from the performer outstanding virtuosity, power, and flexibility.
"Evocación" (1st tetrad) is, to a certain extent, a colorful, nostalgic picture of his native country (Albéniz lived in Paris for the last 15 years), combining elements of southern Spanish fandango and northern Spanish Aragonese jota. “Triana” (2nd tetrad) is a piece in the Spanish-Gypsy style that gets its name from the gypsy quarter in Seville. “Lavapiés” (3rd tetrad) is another "memoir" named after a neighborhood in Madrid.”
- Mariinsky program notes