I could have sworn Manuel de Falla had his own thread here but I seem to be mistaken, so let's start one for this deserving composer. I was listening tonight to his "Suite Populaire Espangnole" performed by violinist Cho-Liang Lin, originally composed as a collection of Spanish songs for voice and piano. Ten years after its premier in 1915, violinist Paul Kochansky arranged six of the songs for violin and piano with da Falla himself contributing the accompaniments. The beautifully haunting "Asturiana" is my favorite of these short virtuosic pieces. One of Spain's most important composers of the 20th century, Falla composed these works after moving to Paris in 1907 where his music was influenced by Ravel, Debussy and Dukas. He returned to Madrid shortly after the start of World War I.
No thread on de Falla? ??? This is astonishing! I love his music so much particularly the ballets. Those sweaty Spanish rhythms still resonate with me to this day. I find it interesting that he spent the last years of his life in Argentina and didn't compose a single composition while he was there (I believe he was there for 5 years). He was working on his massive cantata Atlantida, but never finished it.
Firstly, kudos for the thread title!
de Falla, to me, means the following pieces:
Harpsichord Concerto
Psyche
El Retablo de Maese Pedro
Fantasia Baetica
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Homenage a Debussy
I have less interest in the more picture postcard Spanishness of some of the other music, but those pieces I listed - goodness me but they are wonderful! I adore the brittle spiciness that happens when the 'otherness' of the Spanishness meets the 'otherness' of the historical or the otherwise alien - the medieval, the Moorish, the mechanical, the show-within-a-show, the ancient. The Harpsichord concerto and El Retablo are for me, then, the heart of de Falla's music, whilst Psyche has this cool, classical languor that is utterly unique. Meanwhile the Fantasia, a startlingly harsh piano work, finds more of the real Spain than any postcard pieces, however bejewelled and wonderful (by Albeniz or Granados etc - bear in mind that i love the best of Albeniz and Granados!). Nights in the Gardens of Spain, whilst more impressionist and less harsh, I simply think is a fabulous piece, so full of throbbing mystery. The Homenage is a tiny piece, not very important in some ways, but it's a perfect gem anyway.
This is the de Falla disc I listen to most often. Given that in the grand scheme of things de Falla is not a composer who figures much in my mind, however much respect I have for the pieces i just mentioned, it's surprising how much time this one gets in my CD player, and that says a lot, I think (the Orbon pieces are fabulous too, an inspired coupling, operating in that same Spanish-Moorish-Medieval zone with music of great force and character - wonderful stuff, a joy to listen to)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/614Y%2BylwUCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Best thread title ever.
Thanks Luke for this. I remember we talked about him before and I dutifully bought the works you recommended, but I found them hard to like in their brittle febrility... maybe it's time to have another go.
So much sweet soul under there, Guido! give em another play...
Oh, and MI, I was just thinking - you've been talking recently about your new-found love for a particular group of operas within a genre which as whole you find difficult - I'm talking of Pelleas, Bluebeard, and particularly in this case of Ravel's operas. To me, Falla's Retablo is somewhere in the same lineage as the Ravel two - the artificial, doll-like world of L'enfant, the exquisite Spanishery of L'heure. I recommend it to you highly.
I'm very fond of El corregidor y la molinera, first version of El sombrero de tres picos. Originally written as a pantomime, scored for 17 instruments. Somewhat longer and more rambling and I'm actually not sure is it preferable to Sombrero in any way, but I find it more intimate, atmospheric and easy going than tighter wound and brilliant sounding ballet version, and I play it much more often. Would really love to see it staged as pantomime or perhaps a puppet play.
I should also mention my love for Nights in the Gardens of Spain, this is really a dreamy, beautiful work.
Quote from: sul G (again) on February 20, 2011, 02:39:13 AM
Oh, and MI, I was just thinking - you've been talking recently about your new-found love for a particular group of operas within a genre which as whole you find difficult - I'm talking of Pelleas, Bluebeard, and particularly in this case of Ravel's operas. To me, Falla's Retablo is somewhere in the same lineage as the Ravel two - the artificial, doll-like world of L'enfant, the exquisite Spanishery of L'heure. I recommend it to you highly.
Thanks, sul G. I have a copy of this opera somewhere. I think it's the performance by Mata on Dorian. I'll have to listen to it.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 20, 2011, 06:25:27 PM
Thanks, sul G. I have a copy of this opera somewhere. I think it's the performance by Mata on Dorian. I'll have to listen to it.
Ah, good, that's the one I was talking about, it's gorgeous. (And you were right before, btw, I'm Luke, so you don't need to worry about the sul G bit! That was just my attempt to ward of the login demons)
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 19, 2011, 08:21:57 PM
No thread on de Falla? ??? This is astonishing! I love his music so much particularly the ballets. Those sweaty Spanish rhythms still resonate with me to this day. I find it interesting that he spent the last years of his life in Argentina and didn't compose a single composition while he was there (I believe he was there for 5 years). He was working on his massive cantata Atlantida, but never finished it.
Yes, we heard a Suite from Atlàntida at Symphony this past November.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 21, 2011, 04:32:50 AM
Yes, we heard a Suite from Atlàntida at Symphony this past November.
How was it Karl?
Quote from: sul G (again) on February 20, 2011, 11:58:55 PM
Ah, good, that's the one I was talking about, it's gorgeous. (And you were right before, btw, I'm Luke, so you don't need to worry about the sul G bit! That was just my attempt to ward of the login demons)
I'll definitely check it out Luke, thanks.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 21, 2011, 06:38:50 AM
How was it Karl?
Beautiful. Made one long for what might have been.
Took me a long minute to figure out the thread title FWIW.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 21, 2011, 07:02:52 AM
Took me a long minute to figure out the thread title FWIW.
That's because you never adopted the Boston accent. ;)
I may be a Philistine, but I really like El Amor Brujo... Nights in the Gardens in Spain would be my second choice..
Quote from: jowcol on February 24, 2011, 02:14:59 PM
I may be a Philistine, but I really like El Amor Brujo... Nights in the Gardens in Spain would be my second choice..
Great works. Love them both. Nothing Philistine about liking something you connect with. If it moves you, then that's all that matters.
Only one page for this composer? Pitiful...
Anyway, it seems de Falla isn't discussed much around here which is a crying shame because the man created some magical music. Today, I picked up a few recordings to add to my collection of his music:
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001927MJU.01.L.jpg) (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B004IXP5UA.01.L.jpg)
Not pictured:
Manuel de Falla: El Amor Brujo, El Sombrero de tres picos
Marilyn Horne
Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez
New York Philharmonic
Sony
Looks like an interesting new series featuring the insufficiently appreciated spaniard.
[asin]B006O51D0Q[/asin]
Quote from: vandermolen on February 09, 2012, 02:54:41 PM
Looks like an interesting new series featuring the insufficiently appreciated spaniard.
[asin]B006O51D0Q[/asin]
It should be good, Jeffrey. I have a lot of de Falla in my collection, but, hey, let's add another one!
Upcoming purchases:
Debussy: Complete Orchestral Works - Jun Markl, 9 CDs, Naxos
Mercury Living Presence Box Set - 51 CDs
Khachaturian:
Spartacus, Jurowski, Berlin Radio Symphony, 2 CDs, Capriccio
(http://i.prs.to/t_200/brilliantclassics6835.jpg)
Have been listening to this set,
the complete piano works played by Meshulam on Brilliant Classics. The set does contain some rarities, but the playing lacks vigeur.
Then heard this pianist on you-t: Mauricio Nader - and liked him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmZC2WjU-Fw (Danza del Fuego)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spJIxflgNiU (Baetica)
The fellow also plays Wolfgang Rihm and other stuff on you-t.
Quote from: vandermolen on February 09, 2012, 02:54:41 PM
Looks like an interesting new series featuring the insufficiently appreciated spaniard.
[asin]B006O51D0Q[/asin]
So far, Jeffrey, this is an excellent recording. I highly recommend it. There's a wonderful energy to the performances.
http://www.youtube.com/v/hB5qCuVIQRE
I feel compelled to bring my proselytizing fror
Atlántida to this thread (which has been inactive for more than three years :( ):
Quote from: ritter on June 25, 2016, 12:31:43 PM
Every once in a while I revisit this:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61oIm5mnleL.jpg)
Yes, the work might be flawed, dramatically awkward, perhaps even musically inconsistent...but is is endlessly fascinating and breathtakingly beautiful. A must for anyone interested in the music of Manuel de Falla. Sadly, recordings of it are not easy to find these days (except for a bootleg of the staged première at La Scala of an "intermediate" version of Ernesto Hallfter's completion, in poor sound and in Italian translation).
I fortunately located the other day a cheap copy of the CD transfer of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos's pioneering recording from the 70s, with which I got to get to know the work in my teens and that was only briefly available in the market:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BrVdZGF4L.jpg)
It's on its way to Spain from Germany! :) :)
Quote from: ritter on July 04, 2016, 06:07:40 AM
Some days ago, I reported (with enthusism) that I was listening to Edmon Colomer's recording of the Manuel de Falla / Ernesto Halffter Atlántida (on long OOP Audivis / Valois CDs). Well, now I have received a used copy of the first compete recording conducetd by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI (which only circulated breifly, is also long OOP, and which I hadn't listened to for some 30 years--I had on LPs):
(http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0001/042/MI0001042142.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Both the Colomer and the Früihbeck recordings are excellent; perhaps Colomer's forces are more enthusiastic, and his female soloists (Teresa Berganza as Queen Pirene and a young María Bayo as Queen Isabella) have a slight advantage over their counterparts on the EMI (Anna Ricci and Enriqueta Tarrès). As the narrator, Simon Estes on Audivis is good, but slightly vehement and lacking in subtelty, while Vicente Sardinero is rather more idiomatic in the EMI.
What should be noted, though, is that the Frühbeck includes some 20 minutes more of music in Part II (Alcides and Geryon the three-headed). I wouldn't go as far as saying that the Colomer is cut, since the process of completion of this fragementary work was haphazard. Still, the longer Part II is worthwhile, and gives a better picture of the destruction of Atlantis from a dramatic point of view.
It is rather surprising that Frühbeck chose to include more music form Part II (if he actually had a choice at that time), because later on he would perform excerpts pof the work in a sort of suite, omitting Part II altogether. He would invoke logistic problems (given the number of soslists required). Also, Part II is the section that apparently includes the least of original music by Falla, and is almost purely Halffter. To add insult to injury, on at least one occasion, Frühbeck perfomed this suite (sans part II) followd by Orff's Carmina Burana, of all things ::).
In any case, Part II it is quite wonderful, and full of all sorts of influneces. For instance, Wagner and Puccini lurk in the background: Geryon is a creature that lies somewhere between Fafner, on one hand, and Ping, Pang and Pong from Turandot on the other, and the Pleiades are a kind of mixture of the Flowermaidesn from Parsifal and a sort of Mediterranean Rhinemaidens).
It is surprising that a new recording of this work hasn't been issued. Perhaps the Spanish National Orchetstra's own label will release the performances under Josep Pons from last year in Madrid (which were highly praised, and which I sadly missed because I was out of town at the time :( ).
I read in the first page of this thread that Karl Henning had the chance to see a suite from
Atlántida in concert, and found it beautiful :).He adds that it made him long for what could have been. That is perfectly understandable, because not knowing how a composer of Falla's stature would have completed his magnum opus (on which he worked for more than 20 years) is really sad. Still, what "is" (i.e., this work with two authors--Falla
and E. Halffter) is, as it stands, by all acounts extraordinary, and one of the greatest monuments of Spanish music ever.
My favorite work of Falla's is Psyché. I've grown kind of tired of the more well-known ballets like El sombrero de tres picos and El amor brujo. I still have a fondness for Noches en los jardines de España. I also like the Harpsichord Concerto.
Quote from: Mirror Image on July 04, 2016, 07:15:56 AM
My favorite work of Falla's is Psyché. I've grown kind of tired of the more well-known ballets like El sombrero de tres picos and El amor brujo. I still have a fondness for Noches en los jardines de España. I also like the Harpsichord Concerto.
You seem to be firmly in the camp of
Igor Stravinsky, who wrote something to the effect that Falla's best music is not necessarily the most "Spanish". Of course,
Psyché is very French-sounding (not only because of the text), and it is a sister of works such as
Ravel's
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (which both you IIRC and I admire a lot) or some of the early Stravinsky songs (the
Japanese lyrics or the Verlaine settings).
Noches is also a very French piece in its conception, I'd say.
In any case, Falla's use of Andalusian folklore in the early ballets is masterful, and the man was a real expert on flamenco (he organized a
cante jondo festival along with
Federico García Lorca and others in Granada in 1922), and it doesn't have the "picture-postcard" feeling that you can hear in, for instance,
Joaquín Turina's music.
Later Falla abandons this "overt" folklorism, and works like the
Harpsichord concerto and the wonderful
Master Peter's puppet show are much more ascetic, "Castilian". If you do not know that chamber opera, I urge you to listen to it (even if you are not really into opera). It is a bit like the development of
George Enescu, from the "in-your-face" folklorism of the first
Romanian rhapsody to the much subtler use of folk-inspired material in his late oeuvre.
It's of no consequence to this discussion, but it is striking that soemone like
Pierre Boulez, who never concealed his dislike for (virtaully all) neo-classicism, recorded or conducted in public both the
Harpsichord concerto and
Master Peter, the latter in a triple bill with Stravinsky's
Renard and Schoenberg's
Pierrot lunaire. It's as if Boulez was trying to link the Falla piece to what we usually consider "20th century high modernism".
In short, from what you say, John,
Atlántida is something I think you'd enjoy. Pity Falla's output is soooo small...
Cheers,
Quote from: ritter on July 04, 2016, 07:55:03 AM
You seem to be firmly in the camp of Igor Stravinsky, who wrote something to the effect that Falla's best music is not necessarily the most "Spanish". Of course, Psyché is very French-sounding (not only because of the text), and it is a sister of works such as Ravel's Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (which both you IIRC and I admire a lot) or some of the early Stravinsky songs (the Japanese lyrics or the Verlaine settings). Noches is also a very French piece in its conception, I'd say.
In any case, Falla's use of Andalusian folklore in the early ballets is masterful, and the man was a real expert on flamenco (he organized a cante jondo festival along with Federico García Lorca and others in Granada in 1922), and it doesn't have the "picture-postcard" feeling that you can hear in, for instance, Joaquín Turina's music.
Later Falla abandons this "overt" folklorism, and works like the Harpsichord concerto and the wonderful Master Peter's puppet show are much more ascetic, "Castilian". If you do not know that chamber opera, I urge you to listen to it (even if you are not really into opera). It is a bit like the development of George Enescu, from the "in-your-face" folklorism of the first Romanian rhapsody to the much subtler use of folk-inspired material in his late oeuvre.
It's of no consequence to this discussion, but it is striking that soemone like Pierre Boulez, who never concealed his dislike for (virtaully all) neo-classicism, recorded or conducted in public both the Harpsichord concerto and Master Peter, the latter in a triple bill with Stravinsky's Renard and Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire. It's as if Boulez was trying to link the Falla piece to what we usually consider "20th century high modernism".
In short, from what you say, John, Atlántida is something I think you'd enjoy. Pity Falla's output is soooo small...
Cheers,
Atlántida is one work I do not own that I really should checkout at some juncture. Falla really was an outstanding composer, but it's those early ballets that I've just grown tiresome of. It feels good to be in the same company as Stravinsky. ;)
El gran teatro del mundo in another work of Falla's that I enjoy. It's some incidental music he had written, but it's no less involving. It seems the best Falla doesn't overstay it's welcome and is pretty much finished before it even starts. It doesn't surprise me that Boulez doesn't like Neoclassicism, but, at the same time, it doesn't really surprise me that he conducted a lot of it as well. He seemed to be a man of many contradictions.
I had grown tired of " el sombrero de tres picos", mostly because of his use of "local color" which I felt was excessive. Somebody bought me this box of some of the timeless successes of the Paris ballet.
[asin]B005ZIDZB8[/asin]
In it this ballet is performed with the Picasso sets and costumes recreated for the occasion and a modernized version of Balanchine choregraphy.
This is the magic of living theater: it draws from all the arts not just music. And here they blend perfectly.
Cross-post from the 'Purchases' thread -
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 17, 2018, 08:59:43 AM
Just bought:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51L%2BOfWRfCL.jpg) (https://img.discogs.com/-fzEoPZR-NrY0KCnIMQZKp1nQjE=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-6651715-1423908153-7452.jpeg.jpg)
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 18, 2018, 07:13:14 PM
Bought tonight:
(https://img.discogs.com/ns_teeXLLvccOn5kP9tYHyXOjJc=/fit-in/463x463/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-6682949-1424543935-3119.jpeg.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81u1FSryz6L._SL1400_.jpg)
I saw Jill Gomez's name on this Cleobury recording of El amor brujo and had to buy it immediately. Also, what's nice is this is the original 1915 version, which I have a recording of already (with Josep Pons on Harmonia Mundi) but I was never crazy about the vocalist that was used.
I seem to recall that Rafael spoke highly of this López Cobos recording on the Claves label, but I may be misremembering.
This past weekend, in Granada, I finally got a chance to visit Manuel de Falla's home, where he lived from 1922 until his departure to self-imposed exile in Argentina in 1939. It's a small carmen (a typical Granada hillside house with an enclosed garden) on the road that winds up to the Alhambra (with great views of the city below and the vega granadina—the valley).
It's very spartan—no Wahnfried, this ;)—and although he never owned the place, after his death it was bought by the Granada City Council and his personal possessions were left intact inside (his intention was to return "when things calmed down in Europe", but alas that was not to be). The place really reflects the impression one has of Falla the man: very ascetic yet dandyish, and very religious. A very special place, I'd say.
(http://www.manueldefalla.org/imagenes/casamuseo.jpg)
The house seen from the small garden (in which chamber music concerts are nowadays held)
(http://www.museosdegranada.com/images/falla/01.jpg)
The exterior. All windows and doors were painted blue by Falla, to remind him of the sea of his native Cádiz (although it's not too far from the city, the sea cannot be seen from Granada).
(https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/7e/56/aa/casa-museo-de-manuel.jpg)
Picasso's costume designs for The Three-cornered Hat hang on the walls.
(http://www.xn--espaaescultura-tnb.es/export/sites/cultura/multimedia/galerias/museos/museo_mfalla_granada_t1800207.jpg_1306973099.jpg)
The composer's bedroom, which (as the guide at the museum pointed out) looks like a hospital room. His sister's (Falla shared the house with her—they were both single) looks like an oratory
(http://estaticos02.elmundo.es/elmundo/imagenes/2006/11/26/1164547002_extras_ladillos_1_0.jpg)
Falla's dandyish side ;)
It turns out that Falla is revered in Granada more than in any other city in Spain (that I'm aware of). It happened that the city's yearly book fair was being held on the weekend, and there was much on offer on the composer (some things I know have been out of print for many years, but somehow the local institutions have new copies for sale). I bought this coffee table book (with a wealth of photographic documentation)...
(https://cloud10.todocoleccion.online/libros-segunda-mano-musica/tc/2012/12/10/34617412.jpg)
...and a recent publication about the composer's tribulations during the turmoil in Spain in the 1930s:
(https://www.elargonauta.com/static/img/portadas/70338.jpg)
As a curiosity, I also got a CD I didn't even know existed: the live recordings made during the first cante jondo (this being the most serious type of flamenco singing) competition organised by, among others, Lorca and Falla in Granada in 1922.
(http://www.almaviva.es/imagenes/1513683501CANTE%20JONDO.jpg)
Someone is a Falla fan I see. ;) Just kidding....beautiful photos, Rafael, and sounds like you had a great trip.
Yes, what an experience and great photos. I like his hats although I don't think that they would suit me 8)
I am a Falla admirer as well.
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 30, 2018, 04:24:23 PM
....beautiful photos, Rafael, and sounds like you had a great trip.
Quote from: vandermolen on May 02, 2018, 03:24:32 AM
Yes, what an experience and great photos. I like his hats although I don't think that they would suit me 8)
I am a Falla admirer as well.
Thanks, gentlemen! You should visit the house if you're ever in the area, but call in advance, because it appears that the official opening hours are not really respected. We got in by chance: they didn't want to give us admission because some musicians were about to arrive to rehearse for a concert, but luckily we coincided with another party that insisted they had been given an appointment to visit the museum, and in we went ;)
For clarity's sake, the pictures are not by me (but sourced from the internet). Apart from being a mediocre photographer, I don't like losing time by taking photographs in this kind of visits (I actually get a bit nervous by people trying to immortalise a moment, rather than savouring the moment itself—we all have our manias ::)).
Quote from: ritter on April 30, 2018, 03:36:57 PM
This past weekend, in Granada, I finally got a chance to visit Manuel de Falla's home, where he lived from 1922 until his departure to self-imposed exile in Argentina in 1939. It's a small carmen (a typical Granada hillside house with an enclosed garden) on the road that winds up to the Alhambra (with great views of the city below and the vega granadina—the valley).
It's very spartan—no Wahnfried, this ;)—and although he never owned the place, after his death it was bought by the Granada City Council and his personal possessions were left intact inside (his intention was to return "when things calmed down in Europe", but alas that was not to be). The place really reflects the impression one has of Falla the man: very ascetic yet dandyish, and very religious. A very special place, I'd say.
(http://www.manueldefalla.org/imagenes/casamuseo.jpg)
The house seen from the small garden (in which chamber music concerts are nowadays held)
(http://www.museosdegranada.com/images/falla/01.jpg)
The exterior. All windows and doors were painted blue by Falla, to remind him of the sea of his native Cádiz (although it's not too far from the city, the sea cannot be seen from Granada).
Beautiful. This composer would not object at all to living in such a house . . . .
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on May 02, 2018, 04:34:59 AM
Beautiful. This composer would not object at all to living in such a house . . . .
Well, the house is actually much smaller than it seems, but delightful nonetheless. We were told the rent paid by
Falla amounted to 80 pesetas per annum. Not taking into account inflation, and the successive devaluations of the Spanish currency since the 30s up to the introduction of the euro, that amount is roughly equal to 50 cents of a euro (per annum, I insist). :o
Quote from: vandermolen on February 09, 2012, 02:54:41 PM
Looks like an interesting new series featuring the insufficiently appreciated spaniard.
[asin]B006O51D0Q[/asin]
Any thoughts on this disc? The only 'Nights' I have is from Alicia de Larrocha with Rafael Fruhbeck and the Orquesta Filarmonica de Londres and it is decades old.
Quote from: Biffo on May 02, 2018, 06:46:11 AM
Any thoughts on this disc? The only 'Nights' I have is from Alicia de Larrocha with Rafael Fruhbeck and the Orquesta Filarmonica de Londres and it is decades old.
Well, I really like the CD - lovely recording and performances and a great programme. I'm not a Falla 'expert' but the CD has given me great pleasure.
Quote from: vandermolen on May 02, 2018, 09:42:25 AM
Well, I really like the CD - lovely recording and performances and a great programme. I'm not a Falla 'expert' but the CD has given me great pleasure.
Many thanks for your comments. I don't have much de Falla in my collection and it is mainly in elderly recordings, perhaps I should buy the Chandos disc (or more probably lossless download).
I recall not being impressed by the Piano Music. Was I wrong?
Quote from: snyprrr on May 05, 2018, 05:55:50 AM
I recall not being impressed by the Piano Music. Was I wrong?
If you don't like it, you don't like it, but I disagree. He wrote some real gems here. Check out Perianes on Harmonia Mundi.
Thought I would revive this thread mainly for Rafael and myself who seem to be the only resident Falla fans here.... :)
Anyway, I'm now listening to the Victoria de los Angeles recording (w/ Frühbeck de Burgos) of La vida breve on EMI and I'm loving this performance. What was I missing before? The only other performance of this opera I own is Pons on Harmonia Mundi, but, for some reason, that performance didn't resonate with me. Now, I'm considering the Navarra recording on Deutsche Grammophe unless Rafael has any objections? While I adore El retablo de maese Pedro, I have to say that La vida breve has its' own charms and this is Falla in full-on 'Spanish Impressionism' mode (if this makes any sense) and how wonderful it is, too.
Speaking of El retablo de maese Pedro, I really have enjoyed every performance I've heard of it, but I quite like Dutoit's performance on Erato. I also like Pons on Harmonia Mundi.
One of my favorite photos of Falla:
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 02, 2020, 08:35:57 PM
One of my favorite photos of Falla:
Yes it's great!
I have the highest opinion of 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain', of which I have several recordings, and tend to like much of what I've heard by Falla.
I ordered Alicia de Larrocha playing Nights in the Gardens of Spain. I'm looking forward to spending time with this composer's music. But as it stands, I have heard very little.
Quote from: vers la flamme on March 03, 2020, 01:53:29 AM
I ordered Alicia de Larrocha playing Nights in the Gardens of Spain. I'm looking forward to spending time with this composer's music. But as it stands, I have heard very little.
I'm sure you'll enjoy that work. It has a poetic and rather magical atmosphere. I like this recording:
(//)
Quote from: vandermolen on March 02, 2020, 10:30:07 PM
Yes it's great!
I have the highest opinion of 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain', of which I have several recordings, and tend to like much of what I've heard by Falla.
Very nice, Jeffrey. Do you know the solo piano music? It's worth looking into.
Do not forget the Harpsichord Concerto! A great work which thanks to this thread I will play this evening. :)
Quote from: vers la flamme on March 03, 2020, 01:53:29 AM
I ordered Alicia de Larrocha playing Nights in the Gardens of Spain. I'm looking forward to spending time with this composer's music. But as it stands, I have heard very little.
Falla's oeuvre is quite small and it would be easy to go through it in one day (that is, if you had a day completely devoted to listening to his music and no distractions whatsoever). Unfortunately, his discography is so spread out and there's still parts of his oeuvre that aren't well-known at all like his chamber music and songs for example. The ballets, operas, and solo piano music have been recorded many times.
Quote from: Irons on March 03, 2020, 06:25:07 AM
Do not forget the Harpsichord Concerto! A great work which thanks to this thread I will play this evening. :)
A fine work, indeed. 8)
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 03, 2020, 06:11:14 AM
Very nice, Jeffrey. Do you know the solo piano music? It's worth looking into.
Thanks John. No I don't. Clearly something to investigate as I find Falla to be an interesting composer. I have a nice Clifford Curzon boxed set which features Falla's 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' on the same CD as Rawsthorne's Second Piano Concerto in fine performances. That CD gives me great pleasure as they are two of my favourite piano concertos:
(//)
Relatively newer recordings I admire.
Although I like all the historical recordings, ie. Stokowski, Burgos, Ormandy, Bernstein, etc, my favorite is Igor Markevitch.
Quote from: vandermolen on March 02, 2020, 10:30:07 PM
Yes it's great!
I have the highest opinion of 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain', of which I have several recordings, and tend to like much of what I've heard by Falla.
As for the Jardines, I like the performance by Argerich.
Just pre-ordered:
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTI1Mzc0Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MzI5MDYzNzN9)
Quote from: OrchestralNut on November 27, 2021, 07:42:08 AM
Just pre-ordered:
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTI1Mzc0Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MzI5MDYzNzN9)
Hope you enjoy it (even if the set does not include
Los amores de la Inés ;) ;D). Do share your impressions, if you are so inclined, once you've received it (particularly on
Atlántida).
Cheers,
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 02, 2020, 08:35:57 PM
One of my favorite photos of Falla:
That clever old Youtube algorithm had this in my recommended feed, a company in London making hand made hats, they might have invented the bowler hat.
https://youtu.be/9rp06KA0D-I
The Three Cornered Hat must have been one of the earliest pieces that made me fall in love with classical. I have several of the other works scattered on other CDs, I suspect I do need that new Warner box.
Quote from: hvbias on November 28, 2021, 06:23:05 AMThe Three Cornered Hat must have been one of the earliest pieces that made me fall in love with classical. I have several of the other works scattered on other CDs, I suspect I do need that new Warner box.
The new Falla set on Warner (
The Spanish Soul) looks like a good way for many people who don't own a lot of Falla to acquire his music all under one roof. Many of the performances in this set I know well and are outstanding. I won't be getting it as I own almost all of the performances in this set.
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 28, 2021, 06:32:55 AM
The new Falla set on Warner (The Spanish Soul) looks like a good way for many people who don't own a lot of Falla to acquire his music all under one roof.
This is why I have done so. :)
The only piece I have ever heard of Falla is Master Peter's Puppet Show on YouTube with Dutoit conducting. That is it!
Quote from: OrchestralNut on November 28, 2021, 01:54:23 PM
This is why I have done so. :)
The only piece I have ever heard of Falla is Master Peter's Puppet Show on YouTube with Dutoit conducting. That is it!
:o You are in for a real treat, my friend. A fabulous composer. It's just a shame he didn't compose more.
Quote from: vandermolen on March 03, 2020, 04:34:52 AM
I'm sure you'll enjoy that work. It has a poetic and rather magical atmosphere. I like this recording:
(//)
Finished listening to El sombrero de tres picos from Juanjo Mena, I found it a bit too slack. I might have Ansermet
too ingrained in me.
Quote from: hvbias on December 15, 2021, 11:25:28 AM
Finished listening to El sombrero de tres picos from Juanjo Mena, I found it a bit too slack. I might have Ansermet too ingrained in me.
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI was the performance I "cut my teeth" with so to speak. I'd imagine the Mena is too slack since he's not too terribly convincing in several of the performances I've heard from him.
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 15, 2021, 11:27:32 AM
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI was the performance I "cut my teeth" with so to speak.
+1. Picturesque.
The Markevitch recording sounds great, but it is not complete.
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 15, 2021, 02:18:40 PM
+1. Picturesque.
The Markevitch recording sounds great, but it is not complete.
Yeah, the Markevitch recording is fantastic. It's not complete? Are you sure?
I am traveling in mountains and jungle now, but the Philips album on my iPod has only 2 tracks of 3 picos. The performance is phenomenal though. Were it complete, it would have been formidable.
Let me know what you got. :)
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 15, 2021, 06:38:44 PM
I am traveling in mountains and jungle now, but the Philips album on my iPod has only 2 tracks of 3 picos. The performance is phenomenal though. Were it complete, it would have been formidable.
Let me know what you got. :)
You're absolutely right and I don't know why I was thinking about
El amor brujo. :-\ Sorry for the confusion.
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 15, 2021, 06:44:18 PM
You're absolutely right and I don't know why I was thinking about El amor brujo. :-\ Sorry for the confusion.
Thank you for your clarification. I wish he had done the entire Sombrero. Anyway, his recording of Amor Brujo and Sombrero are extraordinary!
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on December 15, 2021, 06:53:31 PM
Thank you for your clarification. I wish he had done the entire Sombrero. Anyway, his recording of Amor Brujo and Sombrero are extraordinary!
Yes, indeed. Happy jungle-trekking. :)
Just beginning (FINALLY!) my journey through the Falla Warner box set.
Oh my.....I think I have died and gone to heaven....what I have listened to is magnificent, which is the piano music and some of the transcriptions of the major works for guitar. I wish it was all transcribed for the guitar! :D Referencing Disc 1 and 8 from the set. Disc 9 is also a transcriptions disc.
Edit: The transcription for organ for El amor brujo (Danza ritual del fuego)......was not as successful! :-\ I can do without that one. ;D
Has anyone else noticed a striking similarity (at least, to these ears)?
In Falla's Siete canciones populares espanolas, in the IV. Jota movement....to the Adagio in Beethoven's Gassenhauer Trio, Op. 11? Falla seems to quote a theme from there.
Quote from: Drasko on February 20, 2011, 04:29:15 AMI'm very fond of El corregidor y la molinera, first version of El sombrero de tres picos. Originally written as a pantomime, scored for 17 instruments. Somewhat longer and more rambling and I'm actually not sure is it preferable to Sombrero in any way, but I find it more intimate, atmospheric and easy going than tighter wound and brilliant sounding ballet version, and I play it much more often. Would really love to see it staged as pantomime or perhaps a puppet play.
I know I am quoting the late Drasko :'(
I am really enjoying the original,
El Corregidor y la Molinera. I cannot stop humming the
Allegro ma non troppo to Act II.Well, now I can see that this tune I keep humming is also in
El Sombrero de Tres Picos, the
Danza de los Vecinos :)
Well, I finished this 11 disc set in pretty fast time, 3 days! :) Just wonderful music, and for the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard.
I highly recommend this set (if like me), you were/are new to Falla and would like to explore his music.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTI1Mzc0Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MzI5MDYzNzN9)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61UIjmaVzUL.jpg)
@ritter
Quote from: OrchestralNut on March 10, 2023, 11:14:57 AMWell, I finished this 11 disc set in pretty fast time, 3 days! :) Just wonderful music, and for the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard.
I highly recommend this set (if like me), you were/are new to Falla and would like to explore his music.
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiOTI1Mzc0Ny4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2MzI5MDYzNzN9)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61UIjmaVzUL.jpg)
@ritter
Glad you enjoyed the set, which really is a very comprehensive collection of
Falla's music. Any highlights? And I'd love to know what you thought of
Atlántida (a work I adore —as I have mentioned in this very thread—, but has never really become popular).
I'll join you with some
Falla tonight :) :
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T2/images/I/915JtP2s4hL._SL1440_.jpg)
Rafael Orozco (born in Córdoba — the third movement of
Nights... is "
In the Gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba") was very attuned to
Falla's music, and his brilliant sound combines beautifully with the nocturnal, impressionistic orchestral textures of
Noches en los jardines de España. A superb recording.
Quote from: ritter on March 10, 2023, 11:52:45 AMGlad you enjoyed the set, which really is a very comprehensive collection of Falla's music. Any highlights? And I'd love to know what you thought of Atlántida (a work I adore —as I have mentioned in this very thread—, but has never really become popular).
I'll join you with some Falla tonight :) :
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T2/images/I/915JtP2s4hL._SL1440_.jpg)
Rafael Orozco (born in Córdoba — the third movement of Nights... is "In the Gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba") was very attuned to Falla's music, and his brilliant sound combines beautifully with the nocturnal, impressionistic orchestral textures of Noches en los jardines de España. A superb recording.
The entire set made a pretty remarkable impression.....however....with pretty much the lone exception which was
Atlántida :'( It may grow on me though with time. It didn't hold my attention and grasp like some of his other works, unfortunately.
Certainly a lot of highlights: Siete canciones populaires espanolas, Harpsichord Concerto, Tombeau de Debussy, Tombeau de Dukas.
Certainly a lot of the music from La vida breve, El sombrero de tres picos, El retablo de Maese Pedro and El amor brujo.
Number one highlight for me though were the breathtaking transcriptions for guitar of several of the works, from disc 8, which is why I am now perusing the Guitar Recordings thread for further explorations. ;D
Quite frankly, it pretty much all made a tremendously wonderful impression on me, and the only piece I felt lukewarm about was your very beloved Atlántida. :(
The historical recordings also, were a bit of a mixed bag. Some are so old and of poor sound quality, that it really is for "historical" interest, but some are also pretty darn good (El retablo...as an example is quite good).
9/10 grade on this set, overall. I can highly and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone interested.
Lots of hummable tunes, and I cannot stop humming the tune of
Danza de los vecinos!
I also had this, got it for $2 at a local used CD shop, and I think it is a lovely performance. :)
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODA4MDU0MS4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE1MTUxOTI5OTR9)
Enjoying these albums this week. I prefer this Larrocha recording to her later de Falla album from Decca.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nnPefm0HL.jpg)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/619OZ5+8CwL._SX466_.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oD7ydckzF4SByd1ylW2Ht_L28EpJ52kfqWRKyR3w4ZkSfu0m5GrJiTnlZ72qJnhVfvXiVyIspbGw30fa=w544-h544-l90-rj)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61eLcZg2guL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
Quote from: ritter on July 06, 2023, 01:34:27 PMBack in Madrid, I can elaborate a bit further. :)
I purchased this set when it was released almost 30 years ago, and it contains what I consider many jewels of the Falla discography.
Eduardo Toldrà was a gifted composer in his own right, and a highly respected conductor (mainly in Barcelona). His recordings of The Three-cornered Hat (with the lovely Consuelo Rubio in the brief solo part) and of Master Peter's Puppet Show rank among the best ever made (of the latter work, Pedro de Freitas Branco's recording on Hispavox / EMI is my favourite, but the Toldrá is a close second).
Then you have Ernesto Halffter, a man who dedicated his life to completing Falla's Atlántida, and who was Don Manuel's only pupil, doing Nights in the Gardens of Spain (with the great Aldo Ciccolini), La Vida Breve (the first recording ever, with a very young Victoria de los Ángeles), and the neglected Suite "Homenajes". Truth be said, E. Halffter wasn't the most energetic of conductors (the Pedrelliana in Homenajes is at times a bit languorous), but the performances breathe authenticity and are generally very satisfying.
Leopoldo Querol doing the solo piano pieces is also top notch, and Pierrette Alarie in the Ravelian Psyché is delightful.
A superb anthology of historic Falla recordings! Enjoy!
P.S.: Señora Sabater will be arriving soon. ¡Paciencia! ;)
@ritter I like the set! Any other good recordings of La Vida Breve, in mono or stereo?
I only have Victoria Los Angels with Halfter.
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 28, 2023, 02:23:23 PM@ritter I like the set! Any other good recordings of La Vida Breve, in mono or stereo?
I only have Victoria Los Angeles with Halfter.
La vida breve is not my favourite
Falla work (even if I used to listen to it a lot when I was much younger, and almost knew it by heart). The only recordings in my collection are the one conducted by
Halffter, and
Victoria de los Ángeles' stereo remake under
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI (now in the Warner
Falla "The Spanish Soul" set). I got to know the work with
Frühbeck's recording, and for many years it was the only one readily available.
Later,
Teresa Berganza recorded it for DG under
García Navarro; I had that on cassettes, but have little recollection of it (
Berganza was an extraordinary singer, for sure, but I'm not sure her mezzo voice was ideally suited to the rôle of Salud, originally written for a soprano —it has been recorded by other mezzos, in any case).
Later recordings have appeared, conducted by
Frühbeck (again),
Josep Pons (twice),
Eduardo Mata,
Jesús López-Cobos, and
Maximiniano Valdés, but they all seem to be OOP, and I do not know them. Sorry!
The most recent recording seems to be that of
Juanjo Mena on Chandos, with the BBC Philharmonic. They made the good decision to use a Spanish chorus (that of RTVE), because listening to the choruses with an English accent is not a very enticing prospect. ;)
Quote from: ritter on July 29, 2023, 05:18:27 AMLa vida breve is not my favourite Falla work (even if I used to listen to it a lot when I was much younger, and almost knew it by heart). The only recordings in my collection are the one conducted by Halffter, and Victoria de los Ángeles' stereo remake under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos on EMI (now in the Warner Falla "The Spanish Soul" set). I got to know the work with Frühbeck's recording, and for many years it was the only one readily available.
Later, Teresa Berganza recorded it for DG under García Navarro; I had that on cassettes, but have little recollection of it (Berganza was an extraordinary singer, for sure, but I'm not sure her mezzo voice was ideally suited to the rôle of Salud, originally written for a soprano —it has been recorded by other mezzos, in any case).
Later recordings have appeared, conducted by Frühbeck (again), Josep Pons (twice), Eduardo Mata, Jesús López-Cobos, and Maximiniano Valdés, but they all seem to be OOP, and I do not know them. Sorry!
The most recent recording seems to be that of Juanjo Mena on Chandos, with the BBC Philharmonic. They made the good decision to use a Spanish chorus (that of RTVE), because listening to the choruses with an English accent is not a very enticing prospect. ;)
Ok I'll check the Mata and the Valdes as I'm familiar with the Cobos and Mena. Thank you for the info!
This year marks the centennial of the first performances of El retablo de Maese Pedro (Master Peter's Puppet Show), first in concert form in Seville on March 23rd, 1923, then fully staged in Paris on 25th June, invitation only at the salon of the Princesse de Polignac (née Winaretta Singer), who had commissioned the work, and then on November 13th —now for the general public— in Jean Wiéner's concert series at the Salle des Agriculteurs.
To celebrate the occasion, the prestigious Residencia de Estudiantes (https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,32140.msg1527442.html#msg1527442) here in Madrid has mounted an exhibition on the work. It covers many aspects, including Falla's admiration for Cervantes (he had 30 different editions of Don Quixote in his library), correspondence with the princess, the designs made bu Manuel Ángeles Ortiz, Hernando Viñes and Hermenegildo Lanz for the première and subsequent productions, and some artwork (by e.g. Antonio Saura and Miquel Barceló) related to more modern stagings of the piece. I went this morning, and it's quite delightful and informative (I'll probably go again, as it's on until late January). I hope they publish a catalogue (it seems to be in preparation) as it would include much information on this masterpiece.
Here's some pictures:
(https://exposiciones.residencia.csic.es/falla/img/galeria/Retablo_MP_06.jpg)
(https://exposiciones.residencia.csic.es/falla/img/galeria/Retablo_MP_07.jpg)
(https://exposiciones.residencia.csic.es/falla/img/galeria/Retablo_MP_14.jpg) (https://exposiciones.residencia.csic.es/falla/img/galeria/Retablo_MP_09.jpg)