When talking about the great Spanish music of the first half of the 20th century, the names of Albéniz, Falla and Granados are invariably joined by that of Joaquín Turina (1882-1949). whose works for violin and piano are brought together for the first time on a double disc under the Gramola label, recorded with the support of the BBVA Foundation.

On the advice of Albéniz, Turina resolved to set aside the Debussian sophistication acquired during his years in Paris and manifest in this early compositional output, and turn back to his Spanish roots, particularly to the Andalusia of his birth. The result was the 1908 piece ‘Sonata Española‘ which closes the second CD and marked out a path he would follow for the rest of his artistic career. On his return from France, Turina settled in Madrid where he became absorbed like his colleagues by the musical nationalism championed by Pedrell. Turina used these nationalist figures, but merged them with his classical formation, adding in a few of the impressionist brushstrokes learned from his maestro d’Indy. David Delgado and Stefan Schmidt have ordered these works – written between 1923 and 1945 and in most cases premiered with Turina at the keyboard – in order to highlight the way the composer played with these elements to give his music a personal language. Whether conjuring up the land of Andalusia – ‘El poema de una sanluqueña, Op. 28‘ or the transcription of Euterpe, originally written for quintet –paying tribute to Sarasate in his ‘Homenaje a Navarra‘, or letting his emotions show in Variaciones Clásicas, Op 72 with their structural academicism, written the year of the death of his daughter María.

Composer: Joaquín Turina

Performances: Dúo Ds
David Delgado, violin
Stefan Schmidt, piano

Track list

CD 1
El Poema de una sanluqueña op.28
Sonate Nr.1 d-Moll op.51
Euterpe, en plena fiesta, “Las musas de Andalucía” Nr. 2 op.93
Variaciones clásicas op.72

Total playing time: 44:31

CD 2
Sonate Nr. 2 G- Dur op.82
Homenaje a Navarra
Sonata española, 1908

Total playing time: 49:08