As we pass through the Andalusian Gate (cover image), the world of Spain’s rich culture opens before us. This CD, Recuerdos (“Memories”), features works that take me back to the Spanish landscape, its culture, and its magnificent cities, especially Granada with its Alhambra.

Romancero Gitano was composed in 1951 by the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He was deeply moved by the poetry of Federico García Lorca, who portrayed the raw world of the Andalusian Roma people (gitanos) and flamenco culture in his poetry collection Romancero Gitano. This work for mixed choir and guitar, an almost unique combination in music history, consists of seven movements, each based on one of Lorca’s poems. Together they form an emotional journey filled with symbolism, passion, death, and drama. The guitar is not merely an accompanying instrument but also assumes a virtuosic, colorful, and soloistic role.
The CD also features works by four other renowned composers for the guitar. Among them are two refined and deeply melancholic preludes by Francisco Tárrega: Endecha and Oremus. These pieces are particularly significant because they are directly connected to the final days of Tárrega’s life. Endecha means “lament” and Oremus means “let us pray.” Together they form a musical expression of grief and spirituality.