Isaac Albeniz: Mallorca (Barcarolle) op.202 (1890) Julian Bream, guitar

Details

Description

Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
The piece was written for piano in F sharp minor (1890) and transcribed for the classical guitar in D minor by Andrés Segovia in 1947.

Section A
0:00 Andantino - Intro D minor
0:17 Cantando Appasionato
1:45 Appasionato
1:54 Transition E flat / A major

Section B
2:10 Poco più mosso - D major
2:53 Poco ritenuto - Appasionato

Section C
3:17 Espressivo cantando - D minor

Section B
3:39 Poco più mosso - D major
4:22 Poco ritenuto - Appasionato

Section A
4:46 Andantino - Intro D minor
5:01 Cantando Appasionato
6:27 Appasionato
6:36 Transition E flat / A major

Coda
6:51 Coda: Poco più lento - Malinconico
7:00 Pizzicato

Guitar: Julian Bream
RCA 1982
(Julian Bream Edition Vol 25)

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Mallorca, (Barcarolle), (1890) Op 202 or Majorca is a composition by Isaac Albéniz. Since it has been transcribed for classical guitar it has become an important work for the classical guitar repertoire. It has been played and recorded by guitarists such as Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream and John Williams and many others. It is generally played in the key of D minor.

John Williams once said "I'd like to play Mallorca, a piece depicting a mysterious, beautiful island with a Moorish influence."

Mallorca, one of the Balleric Islands, is situated off the coast of Catalonia. Although sharing many folk characteristics with Catalonia, — the Mallorcans have a gentler, more lyric,
style. Perhaps Albéniz is thinking in this Chopinesque barcarola of a song-type unique to the island—a lament sung by the partner of a fiancé who had died. On the other hand, Mallorca is an island of great beauty, with mountains, white cliffs, and green forests, and was known as a
romantic vacation spot long before the present tourist invasion of the island.
Chopin himself, accompanied by George Sand, visited the Mallorcan town of Palma.

Spanish composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909) was a child prodigy and extensively travelled in the company of his family in his youth. As many prominent Spanish composers before and after him had done, Isaac Albéniz spent many years living in Paris. However, his Mallorca 'Barcarola', Op 202, was written in London in 1890. His performances were very well received in Britain and, in 1890, he did an extensive concert tour there. The barcarole is usually associated with the soothing stroke of the Venetian gondoliers, or the rocking motion of lullabies; however, the barcarola of Albéniz’s Mallorca refers to a style of lament, particular to the island of Mallorca, which is sung by one grieving the loss of a fiancé who has died.

Although Albéniz did not write a single piece for the guitar, a great number of his works, originally composed for the piano, were taken up and transcribed by guitarists almost immediately after they were written, and they have remained an important part of the classical guitar repertoire ever since.

Mallorca, (Barcarolle), (1890)
Dans cette pièce pourtant indiscutablement hispanique passe l’ombre de la Ballade en sol mineur de Chopin. C’est qu’Albéniz se souvient du voyage bien connu du Polonais à Majorque en compagnie de George Sand. La fusion entre ces deux mondes musicaux bien différents donne lieu ici à une œuvre très aboutie, une des meilleures d’Albéniz, d’un style surprenant par sa cohérence. (Rafael Andia)

Le compositeur et pianiste espagnol Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) avait été un enfant prodige et avait beaucoup voyagé avec sa famille pendant sa jeunesse. Comme beaucoup de compositeurs espagnols éminents qui l’ont précédé et lui ont succédé, Isaac Albéniz a vécu de nombreuses années à Paris. Pourtant, son œuvre Mallorca «Barcarola», op.202, a été composée à Londres en 1890. Ses concerts reçurent un accueil très favorable du public britannique et, la même année, il effectua une grande tournée dans le pays. La barcarole est généralement associée au doux balancement des gondoliers vénitiens ou au mouvement oscillant des berceuses, mais celle de Mallorca d’Albéniz se rapproche davantage d’un type de lamentation, propre à l’île de Majorque, chantée par ceux qui ont perdu un fiancé défunt.

Bien qu’Albéniz n’ait jamais écrit pour la guitare, un grand nombre de ses œuvres, initialement composées pour le piano, ont été transcrites par des guitaristes presque aussitôt après leur parution, et elles font depuis partie intégrante du répertoire de la guitare classique.