A little Ravel, a few nods at Manuel de Falla, some stylized Baroque dances, and a whole lot of charm characterize this CD premiere of Ernesto Halffter’s ballet Sonatina. Actually, the title has nothing to do with the plot, which features a fairy tale princess and opens with chivalric fanfares before moving on to music of courtly grace. Adrian Leaper’s performance perfectly catches the work’s often delicate atmosphere and provides suitable rhythmic punch where called for. The Rapsodia Portuguesa exists in zippier versions than this (on CPO, for example, in tandem with a marvelous performance of the Sinfonietta), but this one’s still very good–well played by pianist Francisco Ramos, and vividly recorded too. The three songs aren’t major works, but they give Ana Rodrigo’s pretty soprano voice a bit more exposure aside from her brief contribution to the ballet. If you like Ravel or Falla, you’ll love this.
