Here is a cute little set from Mompou titled, "Scenes d'enfants" (Scenes of childhood). It consists of five short pieces in which you really can hear the sounds of children playing and teasing one another. The first piece is neat I think because you can also hear Mompou's 'bells'.

I have Hye-Jin to thank for actually bringing this set to my attention because she recently commented on Stephen Hough playing the last piece (Jeunes felles au jardin) but did not know the name of it. I didn't either, so I asked him! Anyway, I know I'm not as good as Hough, and I wasn't familiar with the other pieces in the set so I hope I play them decently.


Mompou - Scènes d'enfants, "Cris dans la rue" (Cries in the Street)
Mompou - Scènes d'enfants, "Jeux sur la Plage" (Games on the Beach)
Mompou - Scènes d'enfants, "Jeu 2" (Game 2)
Mompou - Scènes d'enfants, "Jeu 3" (Game 3)
Mompou - Scènes d'enfants, "Jeunes filles au jardin" (Girls in the Garden)

Hi Monica,

This is a beautiful performance of these pieces. Spanish impressionism is an interesting genre--vividly colorful, often energetic, and scenically descriptive. Definitely not as reserved and pastel as French impressionism. It sounds hard in some places as well, although you gracefully overcome the obstacles. Gina Bachauer sometimes played No. 5 as an encore. Wonderful recordings! Thanks for posting them.

David

Thank you for listening, David. Yes, there are a few tricky spots in these pieces. I either have to jump/roll the chords, or switch hands to reach certain notes. I'm glad these turned out okay. One funny little thing - when I was researching the set yesterday, I read somewhere that a French music critic after hearing Mompou play the set proclaimed him to be the next Debussy!

p.s. I made a video of the last piece - forgot to mention that. Here's the link if anyone's interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC7l_zeviq4