Composer: Federico Mompou
Performer: Federico Mompou
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Ensayo
Catalogue: ENYCD9716
Release: 1998
Size: 225 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Vol. 1
01. I. Angelico
02. II. Lent
03. III. Placide
04. IV. Afflitto e penoso
05. V. Quarter Note = 54
06. VI. Lento
07. VII. Lento
08. VIII. Semplice
09. IX. Lento
Vol. 2
10. X. Lento – cantabile
11. XI. Allegretto
12. XII. Lento
13. XII. Tranquillo – tres calme
14. XIV. Severo – serieux
15. XV. Lento – plaintif
16. XVI. Calme
17. IX. Lento
Vol. 3
18. XVIII. Luminoso
19. XIX. Tranquillo
20. XX. Calme
21. XXI. Lento
Vol. 4
22. XXII. Molto lento e tranquillo
23. XXIII. Calme, avec clarte
24. XXIV. Moderato
25. XXV. Quarter Note = 100
26. XXVI. Lento
27. XXVII. Lento molto
28. XXVIII. Lento
Federico Mompou outlived most of his generation, yet his work remained obscure and did not receive much attention until after his death in 1987. Mompou’s rarefied music remained true to its origins in Catalan song and the French styles he adopted in his youth — alternating between lyrical simplicity and impressionistic wonderment. Many of the pieces in Música callada (1959-1967) bear similarities to Satie, but the greater influence of Debussy is apparent in the music, which is often spiced with added-note harmonies and polychords of ambiguous tonality. While the Primer cuaderno is thoroughly modal and placid, the Segundo cuaderno offers more chromatic possibilities, and Mompou indulges in some unsettling, dense passages reminiscent of late Scriabin. The Tercer cuaderno and the Cuarto cuaderno are both quieter, mingling brief, song-like phrases with widely spaced pitches that are allowed to ring in sonorous haloes. Mompou’s own performance of this work is controlled yet passionate, within the narrow bounds he set out in the music. The volume rarely rises to fortissimo, but even at the softest dynamics, Mompou plays in an intense reverie that is compelling. The sound of this disc is clear and full, and only a minimal amount of tape hiss is audible in the softest passages.