Debussy again – "La soirée dans Grenade", the second piece from "Estampes", one of the works by the great French composer expressing his fascination for the mysterious "dreamland" Spain behind the Pyrenees....

Thank you for listening and maybe even letting me know your impressions?

https://youtu.be/VKlgBWLSlFA

Hi, Tony007 -- I don't know who said it, but the comment was something to the effect that "This is the greatest Spanish piano piece ever written -- and the composer is a Frenchman!" Like "Pagodes", your reading is IMO very accurate indeed at all points, but what I'm missing to some extent is a sense of the "organic wholeness" -- the piece feels too episodic to me, and to a degree that IS a central component of this piece, but I believe there are other aspects in gesture that tie the "Spanishness" together. Again, I had my choice of alternative recordings on YouTube, and this time listened to Alicia de Larrocha's account, given that she's just the Grande Dame of Spanish music - and, as usual, she did not disappoint. I believe she makes the subtle choices in gesture, phrasing, voicing, etc that somehow make the "Spanishness" so authentic. Sorry, but I can't get more exact than "somehow"! In any event, a very solid rendition of this utter masterpiece -- thanks for sharing it!

Hi Tim Adrianson

First of all: thank you for being a faithful listener and letting me know your impressions!

Alicia de Larrocha – another giant, like Claudio Arrau They are "from another planet", and I'd never dare comparing my humble attempts to their ingenious renditions....

Anyway: Your remarks are very interesting and catch the crucial aspects! Yes, it depends on very subtle choices whether this music gets a certain "Spanishness" or not – what I did was just "visiting Spain as a Swiss tourist", so to speak