Ernesto Halffter: Klavierwerke on 2 CDs

Ernesto Halffter was one of the most important Spanish composers of the twentieth century, yet he considered himself simply, and modestly, a pupil of Manuel de Falla. His piano works, which he began writing when only thirteen, span his entire career and reflect not only the influence of Scarlatti, but that of the Spanish Renaissance, Stravinsky, Ravel, with whom he studied extensively, and the French composers of Les Six. The two Piano Sonatas can be described as twentieth-century versions of Scarlatti. Suite de las doncellas, the piano version of the ballet Sonatina, here receives its first complete recording. Homenaje a Rodolfo Halffter, his elder brother, is one of several homages to friends and artists important to Halffter in his creative and everyday life. Dos piezas cubanas includes a memorable Habanera which exudes the indolence and drowsiness of the warm Caribbean climate.