Xavier Montsalvatge was one of the most important composers to emerge from Catalonia during the 20th century. A great lover of dance music, Latin American and jazz rhythms, his fascination with the sparkling music of Ravel and Les Six, particularly Milhaud, are evident in his own delicately filigreed piano works. In Recóndita Armonía for piano and string orchestra the interplay between the soloist and orchestra reveals the work’s origins as chamber music. By turns vivacious and lyrical, it abounds in broad Romantic melodies and spritely energy.