2015-16: Enrique Granados and his wife, Amparo Gal, arrived in New York on December 15, 1915.  Among the many important events during their visit to the city Granados received an honorary membership in the Hispanic Society of America and was presented by its founder and president, Archer Huntington, with the Silver Medal of Arts and Letters.  Granados in turn inscribed a musical phrase on one of the columns in the central hall of the society´s building and he also gave the Hispanic Society the original manuscript of the vocal score of the opera Goyescas.

The Hispanic Society of America has announced a series of three concerts of music by Granados in honor of the Granados Centenary and in recognition of the important relationship between Granados and the Hispanic Society of America

The three concerts will take place in the Winter of 2015 and Spring 2016.  All concerts will be held in the Gallery of the Hispanic Society of America, 613 W 155th St, New York, New York, New York 10032.  In each concert the piano will be positioned near the column signed by the composer.

The Hispanic Society of America will also organize a small exhibition of Granados manuscripts, letters and photographs from their archive with additional material loaned from private collections.

This event is under the umbrella of the Enrique Granados Centenary and Anniversary Commemoration, coordinated by the Foundation.

1. FROM BARCELONA WITH PASSION:  SPANISH AND CATALAN SONGS BY ENRIQUE GRANADOS.

The first concert of the series will be devoted to Granados’ vocal works and will present a rare performance, almost certainly the New York Premiere, of the complete original version of his masterpiece, Tonadillas en el estilo antiguo.

The program will include:

Tonadillas en el estilo antiguo.  The songs are written for female voice, male voice, recitation, english horn and piano.

Canciones amatorias, for female voice and piano (excerpts)

La boya, and Día y noche Diego rondo, for baritone and piano

The performers will include

Anna Tonna, mezzo soprano

Anna Belén Gomez, soprano

Borja Mariño, piano

Anna de la Paz, Spanish classical dancer

2. “FROM BARCELONA WITH PASSION:  PIANO MASTERWORKS BY ENRIQUE GRANADOS”.

The second concert will be devoted to piano music highlighting some of Granados´ greatest masterworks along with lesser-known important compositions such as the brilliant Vals de concierto, first published in 1916 while Granados was in New York.

The program will include:

Vals de concierto

Escenas románticas

Capricho español

Barcarola

Quejas o la maja y el ruiseñor (from the suite Goyescas)

and Danzas españolas

Performer:

Douglas Riva, piano

3. “FROM BARCELONA WITH PASSION:  CHAMBER MUSIC BY ENRIQUE GRANADOS”.

The final concert is devoted to Granados’ chamber music, recalling a performance by the composer and Pablo (Pau) Casals for the “New ‘York Society of the Friends of Music” held on January 23, 1916.

The program will include:

Romanza, and Sonata, violin and piano

Trova, Madrigal, and Intermezzo, from the opera GOYESCAS, cello and piano (Granados’ final work, composed in New York, January, 1916)

Trio, C Major, violin, cello, piano

The performers will be:

Erica Kiesewetter, violin

Lluis Claret, cello

Douglas Riva, piano