Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer whose piano music, steeped in folk idioms, helped give Spanish art music a distinctive national voice.
He is remembered above all for keyboard works that draw on dance rhythms, cante jondo and the colour of Andalusian song, often transferring guitar idioms to the piano. Suites such as Suite española and Chants d’Espagne fixed that language in the concert repertoire; late masterpiece Iberia remains among the most demanding and vivid cycles written for the instrument.
Though he never composed for the guitar, transcriptions of Asturias, Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba and the Tango in D have made his music a staple of that instrument as well. His example raised the standing of Spanish music abroad and encouraged a generation of musicians at home.
Compositions by Isaac Albéniz appear on
Cafe Fiddle
After the success of his Tall Poppies Brahms sonatas with Milton Kaye, Australian violinist Ben Breen reunited with the veteran pianist for a second disc. Recorded near the end of Kaye’s life, it became the last chapter in the accompanist’s long recording career.