The Naxos label's Spanish Classics series has unearthed a good deal of highy listenable contemporary music, and with this disc of the Spanish-Catalan composer
Benet Casablancas' piano music it even has commisioned a new work, the Three Divertimenti for piano duet with which the program opens.
Casablancas' career goes back to the mid-'70s when the influence of the Second Viennese School reigned supreme. The abruptness, general avoidance of tonal centers, dense textures, and overall expressionist atmosphere of his piano music all point to the influence of the early music of
Schoenberg and his compatriots, but
Casablancas mixes various Iberian influences, although not specifically nationalist ones, into a distinctive synthesis. Primary among these is the proto-minimalist language of
Casablancas' Catalonian contemporary
Mompou; many of the sections of these works are very short, several of them under a minute in length. There are also attractive traces of Spanish Impressionism, and, increasingly often in the composer's later career, a virtuoso, often lyrical pianism. The Triptic Infantil (Childhood Triptych) of 2003 is more about children than for them, but this or many other pieces on the album would furnish ideal material for student recitals; the sharp contrasts between impressionistic reflection and rigorous, muscular fast sections appeal to audiences despite the general density of the material. Sample some of the shorter works such as the Three Aphorisms of 2003; the longer works like perversely named the Three Bagatelles are tougher going. That work's name has a mysterious dot in the middle of its Catalan title, unexplained by the otherwise helpful booklet notes. A pair of pianists is featured, and that works nicely; each tends to highlight different aspects of
Casablancas' music. Worth the time and money, especially for pianists and their friends.