Suite espagnole

Isaac Albéniz's first Suite espagnole, op. 47, composed in 1886 (a second suite was to follow in 1889), belongs, as the title suggests, to that part of his work coloured by folk-music and nationalistic elements. With its eight dance movements the work refers musically to Spanish towns and landscapes. The individual pieces differ considerably as far as the technical demands made on the performer are concerned. Taken as a whole they represent the composer’s characteristically recognizable preference for large sonorous chords, for guitar-like tremolo sounds and for rhythmic and harmonic effects taken from folk-music.