Manuel Blancafort grew up in a Catalonian family which owned a pianola rolls factory, a prime source of the composer’s musical education. In his early days, Blancafort often turned to song and traditional Catalan tunes, attracted by their miniature structure and popular nature. He believed strongly in the importance of nationalism in music and was keen to follow in the footsteps of Albéniz, Granados and Falla, but always with a Catalan bias. The works on this disc include his first important work for piano, Camins, and Cants íntims II, which was similarly influenced by Debussy. His best-known work, El Parc d’atraccions, combines the aesthetic principles of impressionism with the particular features of Catalan folklore, while Pastoral en sol is lively and free with danceable rhythms.