184- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Manuel de Falla.The shining light of classical Spanish music, to foreign
ears at least, de Falla again adapted the rhythms of Spanish folk, notably
thecante jondoof his native Andalusia, to contemporary music, at that
time swayed by the work of Debussy and Ravel.Noches en los jardines
de España(1915), an evocative, painterly work for piano and orchestra,
was among his best, but it was two ballets,El amor brujo(1915) andEl
sombrero de tres picos(1917), that did most to alert the world to his talents.
The latter was inspired by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón’s folksy novella of 1874.
A deeply religious man who never married, de Falla fled Granada for Buenos
Aires during the Civil War after the death of his friend, Federico García
Lorca. He died in Argentina in 1946.
Joaquín Turina. Like de Falla,Turina got chummy with Debussy and Ravel
during time spent in Paris. He too adapted their Impressionist style to the
tenets of Spanish – specifically Andalusian – folk music, although wrote
more chamber music than his Spanish peers.Turina conjured images of
southern Spain, its people, light and rhythms in pieces likeLa procesión del
Rocío(1913), richly recalling an annualfiestanear Seville, and the popular
Danzas Gitanas(1930), written for piano.
Joaquín Rodrigo. He came a bit later than the rest, not born until 1901,
yet Rodrigo employed the same mix of Impressionism and nationalism as
Albéniz, de Falla and friends. A bout of diphtheria at the age of three left him
almost totally blind for the rest of life, yet he mastered the piano at an early
age. But it was with the guitar concerto that Rodrigo left his mark.You’ll
knowConcierto de Aranjuez(1939) when you hear it (you may already be
humming it now).The piece is perhaps most remarkable for making the
classical guitar heard above the accompaniment of a full orchestra. Miles
Davis made a good fist of jazzing it up on hisSketches of Spain(1960)
album.The lesser knownFantasía para un gentilhombre(1954), also for
guitar and orchestra (guitarist Andrés Segovia is the ‘gentleman’ of the title),
is another gem.