Córdoba

Córdoba by Albéniz from Cantos de España, is the fourth piece in the set, and was published in 1897, although it may have been composed three years earlier, in 1894. All scholars agree that this composition, written prior to Iberia, is one of Albeniz’s masterpieces. Indeed, in Córdoba, the Catalan composer is more daring in both harmony and form, considering the fact that he preserves the charm and lyrical quality characteristic of his piano music. Córdoba is the best piece of all the Albéniz transcriptions by Llobet. Adapted in 1929, at the height of Llobet’s artistic maturity, it is an example of how he remained true to the original while finding ingenious solutions to technical problems. This adaptation has never been published before, because up to now it was confined to Llobet’s circle of friends and his student, Maria Luisa Anido (1907-1996) and, more recently, to the guitarists Stefano Grondona and Carles Trepat.