Albeniz: Iberia

Isaac Albeniz (Composer), Jesús López-Cobos (Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Jesús López-Cobos
• Composer: Isaac Albeniz
• Audio CD (February 24, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B0000064U7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,404 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

2. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

3. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

4. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

5. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

6. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

Disc: 2

1. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

2. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

3. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

4. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

5. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

6. Iberia Suite, for orchestra (orchestrated by Arbos from 'Iberia' for piano)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Impressionism, June 6, 2001

By 

Brett A. Kniess (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Albeniz: Iberia (Audio CD)

There are few recordings of Isaac Albeniz's complete Iberia scored for orchestra, especially one with a full & rich sound as well as a stunningly poignant interpretation by Jesus Lopez Cobos.

Albeniz, in his youth, after running away from home several times, was exposed to a great number of cultural and eventually musical influences. His travels took him around Spain, his homeland, as well as South America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and even San Francisco. After settling down back in Spain, he took up friends and colleagues such as Faure, Dukas, Debussy, and Chausson, all leading composers and performers of the time, as well as bold influences on where music was going at that time.

Meanwhile, Albeniz, taking in all of these influences, composes some wonderfully rich music including a series of four books of music for piano, all tied together with a common theme, called Iberia: a musically romantic/impressionistic description of the beautiful lands and exciting events of his homeland. Each book contains three separate pieces of music, each a musical portrait of Spain, and each one exhibiting a spanish dance of some kind.

Traditionally, recordings of Iberia are fast and brash showstoppers, as recorded by Batiz on ASV, and it really misses the heart and the depth of Impressionism that Albeniz was trying to display. Instead, Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony slow the tempos down for a majesterial and autthentic look at Spain. His tempos allow freedom to experience the sumptuous and often exotic rhythms and harmonies of the Spanish culture with out barreling right through them. In listening to this recording, Iberia becomes even more impressionistic than Debussy or Ravel and is quite a treat.

This is a real treat for the ears with Telarc's fine Digital sound, true excitement and passionate musicality in a fabulous recording of Iberia. In addition, you get TWO CD's, 82 minutes for the PRICE OF ONE!! Get this terrific buy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sinewy Spanish Music., April 25, 2002

By 

D. Seymour "snadmus" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albeniz: Iberia (Audio CD)

This collection of Albeniz's complete Iberia was originally written for the piano. The orchestrations are courtesy of Enrique Fernandez Arbos and Carlos Surinach. And what a wonderful job they did too. Iberia might be best described as the Spanish equivalent of Copland's Americana. They are full of flourishes and motives that spell out Spain as clear as Hoe-Down sells beef. The twelve pieces together form an intricate travelogue across landscapes, colors, temperatures and moods....Lopez-Cobos conducts with an afternoon laziness that permeates the relaxed atmosphere of the work. The Cincinnati Symphony is tight and the sound quality is perfect, almost tropical. This is a great disc to unwind and be carried out of yourself.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For lovers of Spanish-themed music, September 14, 2000

By 

Mark Kolakowski (Fair Haven, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albeniz: Iberia (Audio CD)

For those who enjoy Spanish rhythms, there are a few must-have works. Ironically, some of these are the work of non-Spaniards: Carmen by Bizet, Capriccio Espangol by Rimsky-Korsakov, Bolero by Ravel (true, he was of Basque parentage, but a French citizen) and Espana by Chabrier. Then there are key works by Spaniards: Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo, The Three-Cornered Hat and Nights in the Gardens of Spain by de Falla, and, of course, Iberia.

Albeniz (1860-1909) wrote primarily for the piano. After his death, the popularity of Iberia grew after it was orchestrated. The version of Iberia that you hear in this set actually comes from the hands of two different orchestrators who, working independently, each transcribed several of the 12 vignettes in the original work. Happily, it all hangs together rather well. For their part, Lopez-Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony do a solid job, with energy and feeling. Just note that, while this is a 2 CD set, the total playing time is only 82 minutes.