"Atlantida, the final, unfinished composition of Spain's greatest composer, Manuel de Falla, represented a labor of some 18 years. He began working on it at the end of 1928 and inscribed part of the "Death of Pyrene"-the last bars of music he ever wrote-in the summer of 1946, just four months before his death. A man of devout Catholic faith and intense Spanish patriotism with a special interest in his Catalan ancestry, Falla became enthusiastic in 1926 about the long narrative poem, L'Atlàntida, by the Catalan poet Jacint Verdaguer (1845-1902). This work, which had won the admiration of Pope Leo XIII in 1878, recounted the story of Atlantis in terms of the ancient gods, then suggested that the mythical continent was spiritually reborn with the discovery of America by Columbus and the establishment of the Catholic Church in the New World.

Falla set about adapting Verdaguer's text himself, adding elements from other sources including the Catholic liturgy and the prophecies of Seneca. As the work slowly progressed it became a synthesis not only of vastly separated cultures, but of musical influences from Monteverdi to the moderns, drawing on classical, liturgical and folk music sources.

From the beginning Falla conceived of Atlantida as a "scenic cantata," but eventually, under the influence of his good friend the famed muralist José Maria Sert, he broadened the concept to that of an oratorio or "quasi-opera" illustrated by paintings, lighting effects, and perhaps even film projections. Much to Falla's dismay, Sert died before these plans could be realized, and the composer abandoned the idea of a staged or pictorial work and concentrated on it as a pure musical form.

After Falla's death, the composer Ernesto Halffter, with the permission of Falla's heirs, began a reverent reconstruction and completion of Atlantida. His first version was given in concert form in Barcelona in 1961; the next year it was staged as a "scenic cantata" at La Scala, Milan, in Italian (the performance preserved on this recording). It was given as a "quasi-opera" in 1963 in Buenos Aires. Several years later, Halffter further revised and amplified the score, toning down its operatic elements; this final version had its premiere in 1977."  Bill Parker in liner notes on the Opera d'Oro release of this recording.