Inspirations

By 1897, Albeniz was living in Paris, where he not only continued his dual roles of pianist and composer but he had also begun teaching. He and his patron Francis Money-Coutts now launched into another major collaboration in which they intended to produce a trilogy of operas based on the story of King Arthur and in doing so create an English national opera. Donald Macleod introduces an extract from the first and only one of the three operas actually completed, a piano work inspired by the countryside around Granada, and a performance of Albeniz's only purely orchestral work, evoking the songs and dances of a typical Spanish fiesta.