This multi-channel remastering of the original 1997 recording makes very pleasurable listening in the new format. Some listeners may find a bit too much information in the rear channels, but this never becomes bothersome to the extent that it sounds as if certain instruments are actually coming from behind the listener, and the gain in presence and impact is pretty substantial. The performances are very good, with Josep Colom’s sparkling and impulsive Nights in the Gardens of Spain more successful than The Three-Cornered Hat. The latter receives a performance that’s elegant rather than rhythmically gutsy, and conductor Josep Pons rushes the final dance. Still, up to that point it’s a lovely rendition, particularly in the opening sequence (up through “The Grapes”), very appealingly played by the Granada orchestra. Falla’s music is so beautiful that it’s difficult to find much to criticize; it’s far easier and more pleasant to simply sit back and listen to this opulent new transfer.
