The Spanish Masters

The Spanish Masters shines a spotlight on famed Iberian composers Albéniz, Granados and Falla. Although these gentlemen died more than sixty years ago, they were recorded anew in 2011 performing their own works at the piano, alongside cellist Zuill Bailey and soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian. How was this possible? Through the magic of groundbreaking technology, the original audio recordings of these Spanish masters were transformed back into live performances. This recording combines classical music royalty with two of the most vibrant stars in classical music today, to create a dazzling, blockbuster recording that serious music fans and audiophiles will want for their collection. Zuill Bailey has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians performing today. Likewise, Canadian-Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is an international opera sensation and has appeared on stage at the world’s premier opera houses. The original recordings of Albéniz were recorded in 1903 by Edison gramophone on wax cylinders; the original Granados cylinders originate from 1912. From those delicate cylinders, stunning new re-performances were created using cutting-edge technology, along with the most modern recording equipment and production. This album is the fifth offering from Zenph Sound Innovations, a music technology company based in Durham, North Carolina. The company creates proprietary software and algorithms to transform recorded music into very sophisticated data, describing precisely how musicians perform. From this data, recordings can be “re-performed” with astonishing fidelity. The company’s work was named one of the “Best Ideas of the Year” by The New York Times Magazine and has received multiple GRAMMY® nominations. The editor of Stereophile magazine described Zenph’s Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff album as “one of the finest piano recordings ever made.”