…In this outstanding issue of works for stage and concert hall, there is a celebration of a major part of a slim but profoundly distinguished output.
Most notable is the performance of The Three-cornered Hat, which evolved from a mimed farce into a ballet of earthy and brilliant appeal, a far cry from clichéd picture-postcard Spain. And it is greatly to the credit of Juanjo Mena and his forces (with a truly authentic touch from soprano Raquel Lojendio) that such a potent atmosphere is achieved. Falla’s beloved folk elements…are given with a concentrated musicianship where energy and refinement blend in ideal proportions.
Homenajes, a late work, takes us into another, elegiac world, with posthumous tributes to key
influences.
…Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Falla’s concert-hall masterpiece, where the orchestra is joined by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, intent on close musical integration rather than spotlit brio …his performance is more subdued…yet it casts its own spell, sultry and scintillating as required. Chandos’s sound is of exceptional clarity and finesse. © 2012 Gramophone Read complete review on Gramophone
