"Three Corners of Spain"
Arriaga
String Quartet No. 1 in D minor
Granados
Violin Sonata
Montsalvatge
Piano Quartet, Recondita Armonia
Turina
La Oración del Torero
Basque prodigy Juan Arriaga was born in Bilbao in 1806 and died in Paris just short of his 20th birthday. His D minor quartet possesses a breadth of inventiveness and vitality that has earned it a place in the string quartet repertoire. It is a rare example of early romanticism in Spanish classical music.
Enrique Granados’ Sonata for Violin and Piano, published after the Catalan composer's death in 1916, couples his gift for soaring melody with prolific pianism. Violinist Jorge Ávila, who has recorded the sonata for the Naxos label, joins Andrew Gordon for these performances.
Xavier Montsalvatge was among the most prominent Catalan composers of the 20th century. His 1952 piano quartet, Recondita Armonia, inspired by Italian verismo, is a neo-romantic work inflected with lyric polytonality.
The concert ends with Joaquin Turina’s The Bullfighter’s Prayer, a programmatic rhapsody for string quartet. Born in Seville in 1882, Turina is among the most prominent exponents of the nationalist revival in Spanish music.
Our audience is invited to a wine and cheese reception with the musicians after the concert on Sunday and during intermission on Monday.
Sunday Concerts: 4:00 p.m.
Round Hill Community Church
395 Round Hill Road
Greenwich, CT
Monday Concerts: 7:30 p.m.
Greenwich Arts Council
299 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT
