Riccardo Schwartz - Font y de Anta: Andalucía (2018)

Manuel Font y de Anta (1895-1936) was a Spanish composer, born in Sevilla (Andalucia, Spain). He studied with Joaquin Turina.

Manuel Font y de Anta’s masterwork is “Andalucía”, a cycle of 9 piano pieces issued in 3 books, one of the great Spanish piano cycles, together with Iberia by Albeniz and Goyescas by Granados.

The 9 pieces of Andalucía are titled after the neighbourhoods of the cities of Andalucia: Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, Cordoba, Cadiz. They are evocations of the sounds, perfumes, lights, shadows and the mystic atmospheres of Andalucía’s secret places, capturing the essence of the Andalucían soul. The piano writing is elaborate, highly virtuosic and complex, extracting wonderful sonorities from the piano.

Italian pianist Riccardo Schwarz records here the world premiere of the complete cycle, clearly a labour of love and commitment. Schwartz, a pupil from the famous Italian Imola School, had lessons with Paul BaduraSkoda. Conductor Gustav Kuhn said of him: “A pure talent with an uncanny quest and research for the most subtle beauty”.