When we talk about the "Catalan school of piano" we are referring to a line of
transmission between teachers and students starting with Pere Tintorer and reaching well
into the twentieth century. While it is not possible to define a common compositional style,
a similar way of understanding music can be perceived; anchored to the spirit of the country,
Catalonia, but always influenced by German romanticism, French, or the then fashionable
Hispanic music. Some of the pieces on this album are "salon music": waltzes, mazurkas, etc.,
but we also find technical studies for students, like those composed by P. Tintorer, of great
musical quality. And works with a more complex compositional structure and a more
modern language, such as the fantasy En el Poble Espanyol by Maria Dolors Calvet or
Thrénodie by Ricard Viñes .
The generosity of these masters stands out; they wanted, in addition to cultivating musical
quality, to contribute to the cultural and artistic modernization of their country. Their
immense involvement has allowed us, despite the wasted years of the twentieth century
that we had to endure, to still recognize all their expertise as the beginnings of an authentic
school.
This recording is a tribute to these men and women who are too often forgotten. There are
still many forgotten names and manuscripts, riches that today’s performers can recover to
do them justice.
Montse Rios i Rallé