The Spanish pianist Javier Perianes lives and breathes the music of his homeland, and he can’t seem to get enough of Manuel de Falla. In this carefully selected programme, Perianes links the Andalusian composer to two of his greatest sources of inspiration: Chopin and Albéniz. As a young man, Falla was a keen student of Chopin’s mazurkas and nocturnes, which inspired him to compose two works of his own in these genres around 1900. Perianes alternates them with a few pieces by Chopin himself. Albéniz’ suite Iberia also made a profound impression on Falla. In this masterly composition, Albéniz incorporates Spanish elements into a Late Romantic idiom. Falla takes a similar approach in his Cuatro Piezas Españolas, a tribute to Spanish culture that lends impressionist colour to the 88 keys.
