Henri Goraieb - Granados - The Maiden and the Nightingale from “Goyescas” Op. 11

Enrique Granados : "Goyescas" Op. 11, Suite 4, "La Maja y el Ruiseñor" (The Maiden and the Nightingale)

Radio Stuttgart, December 1973.

Inspired by the work of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, Granados composed the piano suite "Goyescas" in 1911. The piano writing is highly ornamented and extremely difficult to master, requiring both subtle dexterity and great power. "Goyescas" forms part of the standard Romantic piano repertoire.
The fourth piece in the series, The Maiden and the Nightingale is the best-known piece from the suite. It resembles a nocturne, but is filled with intricate figuration, inner voices and, near the end, glittering bird-like trills and quicksilver arpeggios. Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez based her 1940 song Bésame Mucho on this melody.

Henri Goraieb (1935 - 2021)
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Born in Lebanon to a Lebanese father and a French mother, Henri Goraieb had the dual Lebanese-French culture. At only 13 years old, he performed for the first time Edward Grieg's Concerto in A minor. Later he went to Paris where he obtained the ``Diplôme d’Etudes pour le Piano`` at the age of 18 from ``Conservatoire National de Musique`` with the highest distinction. Then he obtained the temperament of concert pianist in Paris while training with great pedagogues, like Germaine Mounier and Marguerite Long. Finally, it was with the Russian pianist Oleg Ivanov, a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, he was able to combine his profound musicality with the legendary Russian piano technique.
Henri Goraieb who played more than 70 concertos, was a soloist with many prestigious orchestras, and has given numerous concerts and recitals in major European capitals and cities. Two tours in Russia were greeted triumphantly. In Europe, India and various Middle Eastern countries, the press unanimously hailed the performances of this great pianist.
With his love and profound knowledge of the opera, Henri Goraieb animated for almost 20 years (1980s to 1990s) many programs broadcasted on the French National Radio “France Musique”; notably his weekly programs devoted to lyrical art named “Voix souvenirs”, and “Premières Loges” with the most prestigious voices of the time