This is a timely reminder of the many recordings made by the great Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, who, aged 80, announced his retirement from conducting, on health grounds, on 4 June 2014. “I have to recognize publicly that I have cancer,” the 80-year-old conductor said in a press statement, “and that in this state of health and with deep sorrow I am not able to conduct at my standards and the moment to quit professional matters has come.”

A champion of Spanish music, de Burgos is has recorded the complete works of Manuel de Falla, as well as notable recordings of non-Spanish music, like Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mozart’s Requiem. With a recording career spanning over five decades, many of his early recordings were made for EMI in the 1960s and this atmospheric recording of Spanish favourites is a splendid example.

Recorded on 4, 7, 9 & 10 January 1963 at Salle Wagram, Paris with legendary producer Victor Olof and engineer Paul Vavasseur.

Cut at Abbey Road Studios from the original stereo analogue master tapes with the Neumann VMS82 lathe fed an analogue pre-cut signal from a specially adapted Studer A80 tape deck with additional ‘advance’ playback head, making the cut a totally analogue process.

Pressed on 180g vinyl to audiophile standards using the original EMI presses by The Vinyl Factory in Hayes, England.

Featuring the original album artwork, with notes in English, German and French.