Fantasia Baetica was composed in 1919, and it marked the transition from Manuel de Falla’s impressionistic style to a more modern virtuosic period of his piano music. Baetica is the Latin name for Andalusia. The piece was commissioned and dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein, but he delayed the scheduled premiere of the piece by a year because he hadn’t learnt it sufficiently well.
The tonal originality of the piece is a result of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Sephardic, Indian, and subtle French influences woven into the harmonic language. De Falla was a skilled pianist but Fantasia Baetica is not idiomatic writing for the piano, being rather difficult and uncomfortable; thus, the piece has not been included in the standard canon of piano literature.Tanya Gabrielian
Classical Music | Piano Music
Manuel de Falla
Fantasía Bética Play
Recorded on 06/17/2015, uploaded on 09/12/2015
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Fantasia Baetica
Fantasia Baetica was composed in 1919, and it marked the transition from Manuel de Falla’s impressionistic style to a more modern virtuosic period of his piano music. Baetica is the Latin name for Andalusia. The piece was commissioned and dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein, but he delayed the scheduled premiere of the piece by a year because he hadn’t learnt it sufficiently well.
The tonal originality of the piece is a result of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Sephardic, Indian, and subtle French influences woven into the harmonic language. De Falla was a skilled pianist but Fantasia Baetica is not idiomatic writing for the piano, being rather difficult and uncomfortable; thus, the piece has not been included in the standard canon of piano literature. Tanya Gabrielian
More music by Manuel de Falla
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Danse Espagnole
Canción del fuego fatuo
Nana, from Seven Spanish popular songs
Polo, from Seven Spanish popular songs
Piezas Españolas, Aragonesa
Suite Populaire Espagnole
Polo, from Seven Spanish popular songs
Ritual Fire Dance
Performances by same musician(s)
Papillons in C-sharp Major, Op. 2
Adagio from Organ Concerto, BWV 593 (after Concerto Op. 3 No. 6 of Vivaldi)
Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, From the Street
La Puerta Del Vino, from Préludes, Book II
Feux d'artifice, from Préludes, Book II
Grave in c minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Moderato in g minor, from Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33
Moderato in d minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Non allegro - Presto in e-flat minor, from Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
Prelude from Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
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