Goyescas is Enrique Granados’ musical ode to the paintings of Goya. It consists of six parts, each describing a painting, a bit like Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition. Granados was born in Lleida in Catalonia, but chose as his subject the Castilian painter Goya. He was not afraid to bridge the already existing divide between the two parts of modern Spain.
The premiere of the first four suites was in 1911, performed by the composer himself, in the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. I’ve been to the place myself, and it is really a beautiful palace for music. Should you ever visit the city, I recommend a visit to this impressive art nouveau masterpiece.
I’ve written earlier about the opera of the same name: a later version of this work. In contrast to that record, this is a really good recording. It is out now in a remastered edition, and made pianist Alicia de Larrocha rightfully famous.