Espona: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

A Catalan contemporary of Scarlatti, Manuel Espona (1714-1779) is known now, if at all, as the teacher of Antonio Soler, one of the fathers of Spanish keyboard literature. Melani Mestre’s recording, the only modern album dedicated to this composer, reveals that Espona was a fine composer in his own right.

Composer: Manuel Espona
Artists: Melani Mestre Piano

🎵Online purchase or streaming (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer): https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Esp...
💎More Information: https://www.brilliantclassics.com/art...


🎬🎮 These tracks are available for sync licensing in videos, films, tv-shows, games, advertising and more. For more information and to request a license go to: https://www.brilliantclassicslicensin...

Like Soler, he composed in both sacred and secular genres, but much less of his work has survived. He lived and worked at the famous monastery of Montserrat, having taken holy orders there in 1733. He shared the post of maestro de capilla at the monastery’s renowned choir school (which Soler would in time direct) with Benet Esteve. There are 27 surviving single-movement sonatas for keyboard, which Melani Mestre has edited for publication, and selected 14 of them for this new recording.
Mestre’s sonatas are notably individual in nature, leaving behind the typical Italian-influenced tradition of the first half of the 18th century, as exemplified by Joan Baptista Cabanilles. This is reflected not only in the way Mestre develops a highly original musical discourse, but also in his choice of key for each sonata, his modulations, his painstaking and elaborate ornamentation, his innovative rhythmic textures and a whole host of personal touches that lift these sonatas above the keyboard music of his contemporaries. Like many of those written by Soler, Espona’s sonatas are characterised by their galant style, without foregoing moments of virtuosity, brilliance and restrained lyricism.
Tracklist:

00:00:00 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 1 in D Minor
00:04:40 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 2 in D Minor
00:07:08 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 17 in A Minor
00:10:46 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 3 in B-Flat Major
00:16:30 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 4 in B-Flat Major
00:21:38 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 5 in G Minor
00:26:37 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 6 in G Minor
00:30:31 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 16 in G Minor
00:36:17 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 11 in E-Flat Major
00:42:17 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 12 in E-Flat Major
00:46:37 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 7 in C Minor
00:52:40 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 13 in G Major
00:58:10 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 24 in G Major
01:02:09 Manuel Espona: Sonata No. 9 in E Major

👉 Social media links:
Instagram: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Ins...
Facebook: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Fac...
TikTok: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Tik...

Spotify Playlists:
Brilliant Classics Spotify: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Spo...
New Classical Releases: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/New...
The Best of Liszt: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Pla...
The Best of Bach: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Bes...
Most Popular Piano Music: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Mos...
Beautiful Classical Music: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Bea...
Classical Music For Dinnertime: https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Cla...

Thank you for watching this video by Brilliant Classics, we hope you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to share it and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And visit our channel for other pieces by Manuel Espona and more of the greatest composers. We upload daily with complete albums and compilations with the best classical music. https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/You...

#ManuelEspona #MelaniMestre #Sonatas #Classics #BrilliantClassics #Piano #Baroque #Spain #ClassicalMusic #Music