I like to load music on my netbook that reflects the country I'm visiting. As an example, I loaded Chopin before going to Poland. I'm now thinking of Spanish music for my Barcelona trip. A friend recommended Paulina Rubio and I have Carmen. I find Spanish music very lively and I'm wondering if there are artists whose music is more mellow.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

Spanish music is so varied that your net book will be overflowing, as one form of music no longer typifies Spain.

Perhaps some classical guitar music? Spain is the home of the guitar, and there is a classical guitar tradition that goes back hundreds of years. You can start with recordings by Andres Segovia. For traditional flamenco, listen to Carlos Montoya. These artists are among the best the world has ever known.
Even though the Gipsy Kings are technically from Paris, their sound captures the essence of Spanish Gipsy street music.
A bit of trivia - the '60's pop hit 'Black is Black' by Los Hombres was one of the very few Spanish recordings to make the top 10 in the USA.

If you are going to Barcelona you should track down Catalan music.

Here's some very mellow Catalan music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDu-8G1Mai8

Or maybe you'd like Sangtrait

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koVgF...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3F_A...eature=related

My friend amsdon had a very fine thread on the topic "Música Española: getting to know Spain through her music" with many great entries. Enjoy!: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-her-music.cfm

A couple of obvious highlights though: the flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía is one of the finest guitarists in the world in any genre. Here in 1976 with one of his singnature works, Entre dos Aguas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oyhlad64-s

Miguel Poveda from Barcelona is the most succesfull flamenco singer on the current scene. Here in the copla "A ciegas" from Pedro Almodóvars movie "Los abrazos rotoz" (Broken Embraces): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3CJiJX-qLE

I first heard this in the film Brassed Off:


Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez (November 22, 1901 – July 6, 1999), commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success. Rodrigo's music counts among some of the most popular of the 20th century, particularly his Concierto de Aranjuez, considered one of the pinnacles of the Spanish music and guitar concerto repertoire.

Rodrigo would be my 1st choice.

What kinds of music do you want, popular or classical?

for classical, the best guitar concertos IMO are those by Rodrigo (Rodrigo has some other good orchestral works, I'm not as found of his solo piano works), Villa-Lobos (who also has some chamber music I quite like and works for other instruments, as well as solo guitar) and Castelnuovo-Tesdesco.
De Falla has some interesting orchestral and piano works, and Granados and Albeniz are considered some of the better Spanish composers.

For classical guitar soloists (performers), I like Sharon Isbin as well as Romero and Bream and Manuel Barrueco (he is Cuban but plays the great Spanish composers).

for solo piano composers, I like Ponce (who also has guitar music) and Mompou. They are really mellow, if that's what you want.

Some suggested recordings:

http://www.amazon.com/Rodrigo-Comple...drigo+aranjuez

http://www.amazon.com/Rodrigo-Concie...drigo+aranjuez

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Guitar-C...to+castelnuovo

http://www.amazon.com/Rodrigo-Concie...lnuovo+rodrigo

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Sun-Roman...latin+romances

http://www.amazon.com/Granados-Alben...bream+granados

http://www.amazon.com/Years-Guitar-M...l+barrueco+vox

http://www.amazon.com/Ponce-Guitar-M...=ponce+holzman

http://www.amazon.com/Mompou-Variati...s=hough+mompou

Paulina is pop music. That's a whole other genre I don't know as much about. YOu might try Miguel Bose, he is very popular. http://www.amazon.com/Lo-Mejor-De-Mi...t_mus_dp_dpt_4

Carmen is an opera written by a Frenchman, Bizet and was first presented in Paris. It isn't really Spanish, although might get you in that mood.

For some of the best music from the Basque country:

Kepa Junkea - Latin Grammy winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seolo...2&feature=plcp

Felipe Urgarte playing one of the oldest forms of music - Txalaparta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlJtA...3&feature=plcp

Here's an article that should help sort the differences for you about Spain's history and the position of Catalan culture in it, and what role Barcelona has played in modern European culture (it is Barcelona you are going to, right?)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...-sounds-europe

(Some of these answers strike me as telling somebody from barcelona who is on their way to Texas to listen to American music like George Gershwin. The culture of Barcelona is as distinct as Texan culture.

Paco de Lucia. WONDERFUL guitarist

Wow! So many replies. I'm listening to the recommendations and liking what I hear. Thanks so much, everyone!

Although I'm going to Barcelona I don't want to limit my music to Catalan but do want Spanish music. I was checking what my libraries offered and it was mostly Hispanic music and very loud and it all sounded alike. This is a new area for me.

I'm getting in the mood for Barcelona!!

Robert - the Kepa Junkea video is blocked in the US.

adrienne,
Suspiros de España (Yearn for Spain) is a well-known 'pasodoble'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msVNrdivax0

Spanish zarzuela performed at the Jarvis Conservatory, Napa, California
http://www.youtube.com/user/jarvisco...?feature=watch

adrienne, Strange, I'm currently in the States and just watched it.

You can listen to some of his singles on his website: http://www.kepajunkera.com/2_singles.html