Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 03/04/2008, uploaded on 01/12/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Fantasía Bética                         Manuel de Falla

In 1918, Artur Rubinstein, a close friend of de Falla, was in Madrid on tour. In that same period, de Falla received news that Igor Stravinsky was facing financial problems, so de Falla asked Rubinstein to help. The Polish pianist responded by commissioning a work from each composer: Stravinsky wrote Piano Rag Music and de Falla wrote Fantasia Bética. The work was premiered by Rubinstein in New York in 1920 though he did not keep it in his repertoire.

The piece has many typical Spanish musical elements: the singing, dancing, and guitar playing of Flamenco. Guitar playing brings in the harmony as well as the rhythmic power and often harshness of Flamenco; dance brings the aesthetics; and the singing reveals the suffering and inner passion of the music. All these figures are present in the writing of this piece, the piano imitating them to great effect.     Daniel del Pino

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.