Liner notes: Fantasia Baetica El sombrero de tres picos El amor brujo — Suites Manuel de Falla (1876–1946), along with Granados and Albéniz, was one of the first Spanish composers in more than 300 years to win international acclaim. He was probably the most gifted of the three (although Granados tragically died young on the Lusitania in 1916), and his music is firmly rooted in the folk music of Spain. The main influences on his musical personality are Debussy, Ravel and the Russian nationalists, especially Rimsky-Korsakov, and he is one of the most original and distinctive composers of the 20th century. El amor brujo and El sombrero de tres picos are well known as vividly scored orchestral works (both were conceived as ballets), but they also exist as highly effective piano suites, and Alicia de Larrocha was one of the foremost exponents of this repertoire. Recording made in 1973. New booklet notes by French piano connoisseur Jean-Charles Hoffélé. “De Larrocha provides a totally engrossing recital relishing Falla's sultry impressionism as well as the more percussive folkloric style of his Fantasia Baetica.” (BBC Music Magazine, October 2010) “The pre-eminent interpreter of Spanish piano music, she brings an engagingly animated spirit to these Falla pieces, reflecting his confidence in the creation of a distinctively Spanish form” (The Indepentent, 23rd July 2010)