Manuel de Falla: Piano Music [Complete]

Benita Meshulam (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Brilliant Classics
• ASIN: B0007WFX9Y
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,389 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. El Sombrero de tres picos, suite from the ballet for piano: Danza del Molinero

2. El Sombrero de tres picos, suite from the ballet for piano: Danza de la Molinera

3. El Sombrero de tres picos, suite from the ballet for piano: Danza de los Vecinos

4. Danza Espanola, for orchestra (from 'La Vida Breve')

5. Homenaje pour 'Le tombeau de Claude Debussy,' for guitar, G. 56

6. Serenata, for piano, G. 22

7. Mazurka in C minor, for piano, G. 11

8. Serenata andaluza, for violin & piano, G. 12

9. Nocturno, for piano, G. 3

10. Popular Spanish Songs (7), for voice & piano, G. 40: Cancion

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Spanish pieces (4), for piano, G. 37: Aragonesa

2. Spanish pieces (4), for piano, G. 37: Cubana

3. Spanish pieces (4), for piano, G. 37: Montanesa

4. Spanish pieces (4), for piano, G. 37: Andaluza

5. Ritual Fire Dance, for orchestra (from 'El Amor brujo')

6. Obras desconocidas (3), for piano (G. 14, G. 21, G. 62): Cortejo de Gnomos

7. Vals Capricho, for piano, G. 15

8. Allegro de concierto, for piano, G. 29

9. Obras desconocidas (3), for piano (G. 14, G. 21, G. 62): Canto de los remeros del Volga

10. Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas, for piano, G. 83 (orchestrated in 'Homenajes')

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars de FINITIVE de FALLA, June 21, 2005

By 

Melvyn M. Sobel "Melvyn M. Sobel" (Freeport, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manuel de Falla: Piano Music [Complete] (Audio CD)

Simply put: Benita Meshulam makes this music her own, and it's no wonder. She did exactly the same with a gorgeous version of Granados' Goyescas [Chesky] and with a phenomenal traversal of Montsalvatge piano works [ASV]. When I first heard her rendition of Goyescas, I was bowled over. No pianist had ever come this close to getting to the "heart" of the work. No, not like Benita. And so it is with her new set of de Falla. What she reveals in this music--- the inner voices, the atypical melancholy, the subdued, almost fantasia-like episodes, the juxtapositioning of the overt with the contemplative--- is wondrous and is exactly what I adore about her playing. It's fearless, as well, and willing to delve, take risks and extract hidden wonders, hidden magic--- precisely what is called for in de Falla's piano works. For openers, try the beautiful Four Spanish Pieces. Listen to how she handles the melodic lines and the sustained alternation of passion and nostalgia. Try the lovely Vals Capricho, the haunting Nocturne, ethereal Serenata or charming Mazurka for a taste of Meshulam's exceptional sensibility. Sample her rhythmic strut contagiously uncompromised in the Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat, or the sensual tweaking of the oft-hackneyed Ritual Fire Dance. And the Fantasia Baetica? Meshulam transforms this whirlwind into some sort of transcendental "Dies Irae"---the undercurrents, emotions and yearnings interwoven therein are stunning. Don't miss, either, the wistful Cancion, or the delightful dance from La Vida Breve.

There's no doubt in my mind that this set deserves the accolades I hope it will eventually receive. I was enchanted for nearly two hours. Each piece gives special pleasure in turn. But, in Benita's case, it's not only about the music; it's also about the very tangible connection the artist has with what she plays; how she brings her persona to everything she does play, but without distorting it; and how she surrenders herself to the music, becomes vulnerable, and communicates this so convincingly. Frankly, it is something to hear.

[Running time--- CD 1: 52:22 CD 2: 47:16]