Concerto del Albayzín (piano reduction)

In 1976, Xavier Montsalvatge set to music the Sonet which García Lorca dedicated to Falla. The Concierto del Albayzín was first performed in 1978, at the Granada Music Festival, conducted by García Asensio with Rafael Puyana as soloist.

Montsalvatge looked for a way to express the innermost feeling which those surrounding produced in him, a symphony of voices, the sound of bells ringing and children in a circle playing in the plazas. Then he had to solve the problem of the main instrument: a bitter-sweet harpsichord with its hesitant but poignant voice.

The composer rose to the occasion and was successful; he not only found just the right nuances for the Concerto, but also created a highly original score, one of the best for the combination of harpsichord and orchestra.