Alicia de Larrocha
The Spanish Queen (of the Piano)
She had small, square hands.
She was 1.52 m tall. As a child, she banged her head on the floor to be allowed to play the piano. She was Catalan. She was a pianist—one of the greatest.
Her mission? To spread the Spanish repertoire. Her name was Alicia de Larrocha.
When she passed away in 2009 at age 89, Nelson Freire wrote, “I truly loved her; she was a modest woman, and her playing shone like the sun.”
Acclaimed worldwide, she stood alongside Victoria de Los Angeles as one of Spain’s finest artists.
Larrocha’s journey began at three, seated at a piano.
At four, she studied under Frank Marshall, a student of Granados.
By six, she was performing publicly; by eleven, she played Mozart’s Coronation Concerto with Madrid’s Symphony Orchestra, astonishing audiences.
Despite her small hands, she developed an airy, precise touch, even daring to record Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto.
But beyond technical mastery, her playing held a profound sense of life and imagination.
Though trained in Bach, Mozart, and Chopin, Larrocha fought to bring Spanish composers to global audiences.
Albéniz and Granados owe much of their fame to her.
Her international breakthrough came in the 1950s when an American impresario heard her Spanish recordings and invited her to the U.S., where she triumphed.
Her performances honored Spain’s musical heritage. From Soler’s sonatas to Granados’ Goyescas, she infused each note with nuance.
She brought Goya’s paintings to life in El Pelele and mastered the dark contrasts of Surinach’s Canción y Danza. Albéniz’s Iberia demanded both power and delicacy—qualities she commanded effortlessly.
Her final tribute was to her friend Francis Poulenc, performing his Toccata—a soaring farewell.
As one admirer put it in 1982, “She walked toward a piano too big for her, sat, placed her hands on the keys… and became the queen.”
Alicia De Larrocha, Piano
Track List: Alicia de Larrocha
LP 1
1. Antonio Soler: Sonata in D minor, R. 24
2. Antonio Soler: Sonata in F major, R. 89
3. Enrique Granados: El Pelele, IEG. 22
4. Carlos Suriñach: Canciones y Danzas, No. 3
5. Enrique Granados: El Fandango de Candil, “Goyescas” Op. 11, No. 3
6. Enrique Granados: Quejas o la Maja y el Ruiseñor, “Goyescas” Op. 11, , No. 4
7. Enrique Granados: Los Requiebros, “Goyescas” Op. 11, No. 1
LP 2
1. Federico Mompou: Canciones y Danzas No. 4
2. Federico Mompou: Canciones y Danzas No. 5
3. Federico Mompou: Canciones y Danzas No. 6
4. Isaac Albéniz: Corpus Christi en Sevilla, “Iberia”, Book I, No. 3
5. Isaac Albéniz: Triana, “Iberia”, Book II, No. 3
6. Isaac Albéniz: El Albaicín, “Iberia”, Book III, No. 1
7. Isaac Albéniz: Lavapiés, “Iberia”, Book III, No. 3
8. Francis Poulenc: Toccata
