Spanish composer Ernesto Halffter was younger than his mentor Falla and the other giants of modern Spanish nationalism, and slightly older than the more popular and populist Rodrigo. He has never quite gotten his due, at least outside Spain, but several new recordings reveal him, even as a young man, as a composer wearing bright colors of his own. The centerpiece of this album, Sonatina, started life as a one-act ballet, perhaps inspired by the similar dimensions of Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat. Composed in 1927, it reflects Falla's influence and also that of
Stravinsky in its neo-classic orientation and in the dry quality of its harmonic transitions. Halffter intended this piano arrangement as his definitive version of the work, however. As interpreted by Argentine pianist
Mirian Conti, it's quite a find, with a highly enjoyable, kaleidoscopic mix of Renaissance and Spanish dances. Sample the slow Zarabanda track 5, for a taste; the economy of
Stravinsky is definitely in the composer's mind, but there's a hard-to-pin-down mixture of lyricism and subtle misdirection that is all Halffter's own. Sonatina comes from the first part of Halffter's career; he lived until 1989 but did not fundamentally alter his style, so the remainder of the music has a retrospective tinge. The Siete Canciones Populares Españolas are arrangements of vocal songs by Falla, once again demonstrating Halffter's ability to effectively transfer varied textures to the piano. The three Hommages, composed a year before Halffter's death, are fascinating distillations of the music of Halffter's predecessors (and that of his brother Rodolfo); the homage to
Mompou reveals a continuity of thought between these two composers. All in all this is a top-notch introduction to the keyboard music of a neglected Spanish master.