Fragrances of love songs and orange blossoms – azahares – introduce the Andalusian mood of the pieces arranged for woodwind quintet on this CD. At the onset, three strikingly distorted fortissimo chords mark the 12/8 soleá meter used by Joaquín Turina to evoke the atmosphere – the “aromas”, in his own words – of the Orange Tree Courtyard next to Seville Cathedral. During the ten years Turina spent in Paris, his compatriots Isaac Albéniz and Manuel de Falla taught him how to blend Iberian folklore with Impressionist harmonies, and Sevilla became the first work he wrote in his new “Andalusian” style.

Named after the white, aromatic orange blossoms typical of southern Spain, Azahar Ensemble delights audiences with “great imagination and technical precision” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) that makes the quintet’s performances “bloom in sensual abundance” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).

“Chamber music cannot be performed at a higher level, nor can you bring together a group of people with as much magic, personality and camaraderie as Azahar Ensemble. It is a true privilege to work with them and for them.” – José Luis Turina Madrid, June 2018