Description
Phoenix Mastering restoration from original analog tapes
Lacquer-Cuts by Kevin Gray
180g test-pressings approving in our studios
New Stampers every 500 copies
Slow pressing cycle
Unequalled quality control in Europe
New Tip-on gatefold printed in Italy
Pressed by Simon Garcia, in France
The Spanish Queen (of the Piano)
She had small, square hands. She was 1.52 m tall. As a child, she banged her head on the floor to be allowed to play the piano. She was Catalan. She was a pianistone of the greatest. Her mission? To spread the Spanish repertoire. Her name was Alicia de Larrocha.
When she passed away in 2009 at age 89, Nelson Freire wrote, I truly loved her; she was a modest woman, and her playing shone like the sun. Acclaimed worldwide, she stood alongside Victoria de Los Angeles as one of Spains finest artists.
Larrochas journey began at three, seated at a piano. At four, she studied under Frank Marshall, a student of Granados. By six, she was performing publicly; by eleven, she played Mozarts Coronation Concerto with Madrids Symphony Orchestra, astonishing audiences. Despite her small hands, she developed an airy, precise touch, even daring to record Rachmaninovs Third Concerto. But beyond technical mastery, her playing held a profound sense of life and imagination.
Though trained in Bach, Mozart, and Chopin, Larrocha fought to bring Spanish composers to global audiences. Albéniz and Granados owe much of their fame to her. Her international breakthrough came in the 1950s when an American impresario heard her Spanish recordings and invited her to the U.S., where she triumphed.
Her performances honored Spains musical heritage. From Solers sonatas to Granados Goyescas, she infused each note with nuance. She brought Goyas paintings to life in El Pelele and mastered the dark contrasts of Surinachs Canción y Danza. Albénizs Iberia demanded both power and delicacyqualities she commanded effortlessly.
Her final tribute was to her friend Francis Poulenc, performing his Toccataa soaring farewell.
As one admirer put it in 1982, She walked toward a piano too big for her, sat, placed her hands on the keys and became the queen.
Alicia De Larrocha, Piano
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