Isaac Albéniz: "Asturias", Leyenda

The Catalan child prodigy Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz was born in 1860 in a city in the province of Gerona, Spain. When he was only four took place his first public presentation at the piano, performing a very difficult program that earned him a resounding success, to the extent that the organizers were suspected of deception and even rumours were circulating that behind the scenes there was a pianist who doubled the child's interpretation.

But no, it was the child who actually played the piano. As one critic pointed out, it was "the new Mozart returned to earth". It was not an opinion so far from reality because this new Mozart also had an ambitious father who did not give up trying to exploit the child's extraordinary skills for music, urging him to "compose" as soon as possible, with the happy result of a military March, whose printed score the father requested to be added: "composed by eight-year-old Isaac Albéniz".

Isaac Albéniz (1860 - 1909), around 1872

Isaac entered the conservatory in Madrid at age eight but at ten decided to take a getaway. So, he took the first train to El Escorial, where he offered several recitals at the town's casino. Then, he left. He returned to Madrid but before arriving, he decided to get off at any station and took a train in the opposite direction, thus initiating his first great artistic tour through several cities in Spain.

He returned to the Conservatory but soon after went to Andalusia, where he increased his triumphant series of performances. But shortly after he reached Cadiz, decided to embark as a stowaway on a ship that was leaving for Puerto Rico. He had no ticket but there was a piano on board. Thanks to it, he was able to pay for his ticket and reach American lands. The piano's child prodigy and also of the adventures was then twelve years old.

Asturias, Leyenda
It is one of the pieces that make up the suite for solo piano Spanish Suite, composed around 1886. The suite originally consisted of four parts. An editor added another four after the composer's death (1909), including a prelude corresponding to another suite and called it Asturias, Leyenda (legend).

This piece must be one of the few works that transcribed for another instrument acquire another dimension and are more beautiful than the original version. So much so that Asturias is most frequently performed in his transcription for guitar than in the original for piano, which is always a little rough, due, needless to say, to the difficulties presented by the huge jumps in the keyboard.
In contrast, the virtuous Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic in this recital in New York plays the piece without batting an eyelid.