Iberia (Albéniz)

"Iberia" is a suite for piano composed between 1905 and 1909 by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. It comprises four books of three pieces each; a complete performance lasts about an hour and a half.

It is Albéniz's masterpiece and his best-known work, highly praised by Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen, who said: “"Iberia" is the wonder for the piano; it is perhaps on the highest place among the more brilliant pieces for the king of the instruments”. Stylistically, this suite falls squarely in the school of Impressionism, especially in its musical evocations of Spain. Technically, "Iberia" is one of the most difficult pieces in piano literature, requiring immense strength from its interpreters and flexible hands.

Composition

Book 1

Dedicated to Ernest Chausson's wife.
* "Evocación" (A-flat minor - A-flat major), an impressionist reminiscence of Albéniz' native country, combining elements of the southern Spanish fandango and the northern Spanish jota song forms.
* "El puerto" (D-flat major), a zapateado inspired by the port town of Cádiz.
* "Fête-dieu à Seville" (F-sharp minor - F-sharp major) (alternative titles sometimes found: "Corpus Christi"; "El Corpus en Sevilla"), describing the Corpus Christi Day procession in Seville, during which the Corpus Christi is carried through the streets accompanied by marching bands. This is arguably the most difficult piece in this suite, with the piano partiture spanning three and four staves in long sections. Musically, this piece consists of a processional march that eventually becomes overwhelmed by a mournful saeta, the melody evoking Andalusian cante jondo and the accompaniment evoking flamenco guitars. The march and saeta alternate ever more loudly until the main march theme is restated as a lively tarantella that ends abruptly with a flamboyant fort-fort-fort-fortissimo climactic chord; the piece concludes with a gentle coda again evoking flamenco guitars along with distant church bells.

Book 2

* "Rondeña" (D major), after the Andalusian town of Ronda.
* "Almería" (G major)
* "Triana" (F-sharp minor)

Book 3

* "Al Albaicín" (B-flat minor - B-flat major)
* "El Polo" (F minor)
* "Lavapiés" (D-flat major)

Book 4

* "Málaga" (B-flat minor - B-flat major)
* "Jerez" (A minor (arguably E Phrygian) - E major)
* "Eritaña" (E-flat major)

Performance

The twelve pieces were first performed by the French pianist Blanche Selva in different moments. Selva played the first book on May 9, 1906 at Salle Pleyel in Paris; the second book, September 11 1907, in Saint-Jean-de-Luz; the third book, January 2, 1908, at the Princess de Polignac Palace, in Paris, and the last book, on February 9 1909 at the Société nationale de musique, Paris.

"Iberia" has been performed by many pianists, and recorded complete by Miguel Baselga (across 5 volumes of Complete Isaac Albéniz Piano Music), Michel Block, Esteban Sánchez, Alicia de Larrocha (3 times: 1962, 1973, 1986), Marc-André Hamelin, Claudio Arrau, Yvonne Loriod and Guillermo González (according to his own critical edition of the score), among others.

Arrangements

Enrique Fernández Arbós and Carlos Surinach each arranged pieces from "Iberia" for full orchestra. More recently, Peter Breiner arranged the whole work for full orchestra, as well. A version for three guitars was made by Christophe Dejour and recorded by Trio Campanella.

External links

* [http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/YALE/albeniz4.html "A Synthesis of Styles: the Music of Isaac Albéniz"]