Zwei Zargenabdrücke im Booklet, sonst guter Zustand

Catalonian pianist Jordi Masó's complete cycle of Federico Mompou's piano music has consistently displayed the quiet subtlety that is the key to Mompou, and any of the albums in the set can be recommended. This, the sixth and presumably final volume, consists of early, unpublished Mompou pieces that were part of Mompou's personal library and of a collection at the Biblioteca de Catalunya. They were composed in the early and middle 1910s when Mompou was in his early twenties. This clearly isn't a place to start with Mompou (the first volume, containing Mompou's late masterpiece Música callada [Music That Has Fallen Silent]) would be a reasonable choice). But those hooked on this unclassifiable composer will find much of interest in this collection of short pieces. Some of them were rejected parts or have some other connection with Mompou's early published compositions, but the majority were little experiments in which Mompou pushed against his models. Those included Fauré, and many of the pieces begin with a pure Fauré melody that is diverted into an economical treatment of itself, an entirely delightful effect; Mompou does not so much reject his teacher as quietly comment on him. Another influence, not much discussed by Mompou but apparent in multiple places here, is Erik Satie. Mompou is enamored of parallel harmonies that contain fine shades of color, and check out "Petit cementiri a la tarda" (Little Cemetery in the Evening), track 10, the last of the Five Impressions of 1918, which greatly resembles Satie's neo-medieval pieces. If it was not a question of direct influence, it may have at least involved common inspiration. An interesting appendix all in all to Masó's fine set.

1)
El plany del captaire - Masó, Jordi

2)
Les fabriques prop de la platja - Masó, Jordi

3)
Record de platja - Masó, Jordi

4)
Barri de platja - Masó, Jordi

5)
Camins de sorra - Masó, Jordi

6)
5 impressions: I. # - Masó, Jordi

7)
5 impressions: II. # - Masó, Jordi

8)
5 impressions: III. Dansa de la noia que salta a la corda vora el riu - Masó, Jordi

9)
5 impressions: IV. # - Masó, Jordi

10)
5 impressions: V. Petit cementiri a la tarda - Masó, Jordi

11)
L'ermita de la Garriga - Masó, Jordi

12)
Pastoral en la boira - Masó, Jordi

13)
Pastoral salvatge - Masó, Jordi

14)
Cami de muntanya - Masó, Jordi

15)
Les amigues retornen del camp - Masó, Jordi

16)
El cami del jardi - Masó, Jordi

17)
Montseny - Masó, Jordi

18)
L'eco - Masó, Jordi

19)
Impressions de Muntanya: I. Dansa de poble - Masó, Jordi

20)
Impressions de Muntanya: II. El repos dins el temple - Masó, Jordi

21)
Impressions de Muntanya: III. Pastoral - Masó, Jordi

22)
Pensament - Masó, Jordi

23)
2 petits preludis: No. 1. Oracio d'ermita - Masó, Jordi

24)
2 petits preludis: No. 2. Il.lusio - Masó, Jordi

25)
Preludi - Masó, Jordi

26)
2 arabesques: Arabesque No. 1 - Masó, Jordi

27)
2 arabesques: Arabesque No. 2 - Masó, Jordi

28)
Estanys de paper de plata - Masó, Jordi

29)
Dansa dels tres reis que han caigut del camell - Masó, Jordi

30)
Canco i dansa del pessebre - Masó, Jordi

31)
Les hores - Masó, Jordi

32)
Ball pla - Masó, Jordi