Sounds of Spain This weekend we travel to the Iberian Peninsula via music from France, Russia, and – yes – Spain. Lush orchestral colorings abound in this program of music by Bizet, Chabrier, Falla, Ravel, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Enjoy!

EMMANUEL CHABRIER Born 18 January 1841; Ambert, France Died 13 September 1894; Paris, France

España Composed: 1883 First performance: 4 November 1883; Paris, France Last MSO performance: April 1998; Andreas Delfs, conductor Instrumentation: 2 flutes; piccolo; 2 oboes; 2 clarinets; 4 bassoons; 4 horns; 4 trumpets; 3 trombones; tuba; timpani; percussion (bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle); 2 harps; strings Approximate duration: 8 minutes

Though his primary output includes operas, songs, and piano music, the French composer Emmanuel Chabrier is best known for two orchestral works, España and Joyeuse march. Chabrier numbered among his friends the leading composers, writers, and painters of his day. One of his closest associates was Edouard Manet, who painted Chabrier’s portrait in 1880. Chabrier himself collected Impressionist works of art long before they became fashionable. During the latter half of 1882, Chabrier and his wife toured Spain, during which time he did research into the dance forms of the various regions. In a letter to a friend, Chabrier stated that when he returned home to Paris, he would compose an “extraordinary fantasia” that would rouse the audience to feverish excitement. And that is exactly what he did. Chabrier built his sparkling orchestral rhapsody España on two characteristic Spanish dances – the voluptuous malaguena and the brisk jota – and added a lively theme of his own, first sounded by the trombones. The infectious rhythmic vitality, replete with shifting accentuations and polyrhythmic overlapping – lends a sense of joie de vivre to the piece. At the same time, its brilliantly hued orchestration is just as impressive, calling for out-of-the- way instruments such as cornets and basque tambourine and requiring colorful effects like col legno, where the strings play with the wood of their bows. As Chabrier predicted, the work was an immediate hit, encored at its premiere, lauded by the audience, the critics, and fellow composers alike. thought no Span- ish composer had succeeded in writing so genuine a rendition of the jota. , during his tenure at the New York Philharmonic, reportedly declared to his musicians that España was “the start of modern music.” And in 1956, Perry Como had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts with “Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom),” whose melody appropriated Chabri- er’s music. For his part, the composer described España as “a piece in F and nothing more.” Recommended recording: Ernest Ansermet, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Decca) 턐 Sounds of Spain PROGRAM NOTES : Instrumentation Composed:1915 Nights in the GardensNights inthe ofSpain Died 14November1946;AltaGracia,Argentina 23November1876;Cádiz,Spain Born MANUEL DEFALLA fades, we’re leftwiththenostalgicmemoryofanidylliclocale. spired phrases and expressive romantic passages for piano and strings. As the music quickly distance. IntheSierradeCordoba, there’s plentyofdrama–aswellcrystalline,guitar-in- ody springsforth;asitgrows louder, asecondthemeisintroduced before allfadesintothe movement, thegarden isunnamed.Above dizzilyspinningfigures, anassertivedancemel- we hearechoesofaflamencoguitar. ForDistantDance,thesensualanddramaticsecond the summerpalaceatAlhambra.Theelegantmusicdepictslocale,and orchestral fabric.TheopeningmovementissetintheGeneralife,gardens surrounding piano concerto.Instead,itispartoftheoveralltexture, weavingitslinesinandoutofthe the pianosoloiseloquentandsometimesvirtuosic,itdoesnotbehaveinmannerofa The composercalledthissetofthree evocativepieces“symphonicimpressions.” Though brujo mime inEl amor try. Afourthmovement,tango,wasoriginallyplanned,butthislaterbecamethePanto piece aside,onlyreturning toitsixyearslater, whenhewasagainlivinginhisnativecoun- pianist Ricardo advisedhim to score Viñes, themusicforpianoandorchestra, Fallasetthe was 1909andFallalivinginParisatthetime.Afteraclosefriend,distinguished beganasasetofthree forpianosolo.Theyear nocturnes of Spain Gardens the in Nights Three Cornered Hat (“Love,theMagician”)andThe brujo for pianoandorchestra. AlongwiththeballetsEl amor ly begunin1909asasetofthree forsolopiano,Fallaultimatelyscored nocturnes thework the Russiannationalists,particularlyinstrumentalcoloringsofRimsky-Korsakov. Original- of Spain Gardens the in immediately recognizable inNights muchfromlearned hisFrench colleagues,particularlyDebussyandRavel.Theirinfluenceis tional renown. Thoughhis musicremained rooted inthefolkmusicofhisnativecountry, he Manuel deFallaisoneofthefewSpanishcomposersacross- thecenturiestogaininterna Recommended recording : : Last MSOperformance Approximate: duration : First performance , itremains oneofhisbest-known works. . Philharmonic OrchestraPhilharmonic (Decca) Alicia deLarrocha; RafaelFrühbeckdeBurgos, London 23 minutes strings tuba; timpani;percussion (cymbals,triangle);harp;celeste; 2trumpets;3trombones;clarinets; 2bassoons;4horns; 3 flutes(3rd 2 doublingpiccolo); 2oboes;Englishhorn; Ingrid Fliter, piano March 2016;JunMärkl,conductor; 9 April1916;Madrid,Spain . We mightalsodetecta whiff of 턐 - Sounds of Spain PROGRAM NOTES : Instrumentation Composed: Suite No.1from Carmen Died 3June1875;Bougival,France 25October1838;Paris,France Born En garde! get awhiff ofthebullfighterEscamillo’s song,oneofthebest-knownmelodiesinallopera. two themeswillbeheard againattheend of theopera,jarringlyjuxtaposed.Here, wealso LesToréadorstavern. isthemusicthatopensopera,preceding the“fate”motif;those Dragoons ofAlcala),astwogypsygirlsdancebefore acrowd ofsoldiersinasmoke-filled ofherfriendLillasPastia.Act2beginswithLesdragonsd’Alcala(The her lateratthetavern for fightingwithanotherwomanandhehasbeentaskedtakinghertojail–join 1 Seguidillefollows;init,sheconvincesDonJosétosetherfree –shehasbeen arrested a picturesque spotamongrocks onamountain.Anorchestral arrangementofCarmen’s zo, withitslyricalwoodwindsolos,opensAct3;thecurtainrisesonsmugglers’campin taken from theprelude toAct4,ascrowds- arriveforaparadeandbullfight.TheIntermez from theopera’s prelude, soundingtheominous“fate”theme.TheswirlingAragonaiseis excerpts, retaining thecomposer’s originalorchestration. SuiteNo.1beginswithmusic In 1882,Bizet’s Guiraud(1837-1892)compiledthefirstoftwosuites closefriendErnest fails toplease. setting (Seville,1820),anditswell-knownstoryoflove,lust,betrayal,murder, itnever itseminentlyhummabletunes,exotic most popularworksintheoperaticcanon.With contributed tohisearlydeath,byheartattack,atage36.Nowadays,Carmen Carmen’s The Pearl Fishers remember himtodaychieflyasanoperacomposer, andthenonlythrough twostageworks, exceptional pianist,hecouldhavehadaconcertcareer, hadhechosenthatpath).We Throughout histoo-short life, Bizetcomposedsongs,choralmusic,andpianomusic(an (1856). Miracle year hewonthePrixdeRome,forhisone-actoperetta Docteur Le vatoire. Whilethere, hewrote hisSymphonyinC(1855)–atage17andthefollowing his parents hadtooffer, andwasgrantedaspecialdispensationtoentertheParisConser taught voicelessons.Byagenine,youngGeorges hadingestedallthemusicalinstruction alphabet. Soonafter, thehabitoflisteningthrough heformed thedoorwhilehisfather ented pianist–taughthimtoread musicevenasshetaughthimthe Georges Bizetwassomething ofamusicalprodigy. Atagefour, hismother–herselfatal- Recommended recording: : Last MSOperformance Approximate: duration failure before thepubliccastBizetintoadeepdepression, onethatprobably : First performance andCarmen . Atthetimeoftheirpremieres, theywere poorlyreceived. Leonard Slatkin,SaintLouisSymphonyOrchestra (Telarc) 11 minutes tambourine, triangle);harp;strings 3 trombones; timpani;percussion (bassdrum,cymbals, 2trumpets; 2clarinets;bassoons;4horns; English horn); 2 flutes(2nddoublingpiccolo);oboes MSO premiere 3 March 1875;Paris,France (opera) 1873-74 (opera);1882(suite) isoneofthe Act 턐 - Sounds of Spain PROGRAM NOTES

Composed:1887

Capriccio espagnol,Opus34 Died 21June1908;Lybensk, Russia 18MarchBorn 1844;Tikhvin, Russia NICOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol Capriccio Most classicalmusicenthusiastsknowRimsky-Korsakovprimarilybythree pieces:the the worktoitsrousing conclusion. Asturias region Spain.Arestatement innorthwestern oftheopeningalboradothemebrings A foot-tappingdanceintripletimeleadstotheFandango asturiano,abriskdancefrom the Orchestra musicians.) clarinet; harp.(We canassumeRimsky-Korsakov fashionedtheseforhisfavoriteImperial opens withfivecadenzas,playedabovepercussion andtrumpets; violin,flute, rolls: horns orchestration andsetinadifferent key. TheScenaecantogitano (sceneandgypsysong) ments andsectionsoftheorchestra. Thethird movementislikethefirst,butwithdifferent variations. Anostalgicmelodyisintroduced thenrepeated bythehorns, byotherinstru- estrepitoso,tempo markingisVivo livelyandresounding. Thesecondmovementisasetof song),adancetocelebratethesunrise.Its The workbeginswithanAlborado(morning section. Spanish melody. Atthefirst rehearsal, theplayersoffered enthusiasticapplauseaftereach chestra, theworkissetinfivemovements,tobeplayedwithoutpause.Eachbasedona color isapparent. Tailored forthe 67membersoftheSt.Petersburg ImperialOperaOr From theopeningmeasures espagnol ofCapriccio tration of Orches opera. (Hisautodidacticismwassothorough helaterwrote Principles abook,The self orchestration and,whilestillinthenavy, completedasymphony, atonepoem,andan pursue acareer asacomposer, training.Hetaughthim- thoughthelatterhadnoformal immediately fellunderthespelloffieryBalakirev, whoencouragedthenavalofficerto Canille, introduced himtothecomposerMily Balakirev. Thestill-teenagedRimsky-Korsakov ifunschooled,composer.an earnest, InDecember1861,hispianoteacher, Théodore St. Petersburg. There, hecontinuedtotakelessonsandwasadecent enoughpianistand of hismucholderbrother Voin. Accordingly, heenrolled intheCollegeofNavalCadets instrument, buthisheartwasnotsetonmusic.Hisambitionanavalcareer, inemulation Rimsky-Korsakov hadpianolessonsfrom agesixandhadcomposedsomepiecesforthat to expendmostofhiscreative energy writingopera. 40s, theybecamevirtuallyhislastessaysinpurely orchestral music,forin1889hedecided within aspanoflessthantwoyears(1887-88).Thoughthecomposerwasonlyinhismid- Recommended recording: : Last MSOperformance Approximate: duration , whichisstillinusetoday.) : First performance Russian Easter Festival Overture Festival Easter , theRussian 15 minutes snare drum,tambourine, triangle); harp;strings tuba; timpani;percussion (bassdrum,castanets,cymbals, 2trumpets;3trombones;2 clarinets;bassoons;4horns; flutes; piccolo;2oboes(1stdoublingEnglishhorn); May 2004;PeterOundjian,conductorInstrumentation:2 31 October1887;St.Petersburg, Russia (Deutsche Grammophon) Neeme Järvi,Gothenburg SymphonyOrchestra , Rimsky-Korsakov’s masteryoforchestral , andScheherazade 턐 , allwritten - - Sounds of Spain PROGRAM NOTES

Composed Boléro Died 28December1937;Paris,France 7MarchBorn 1875;Ciboure, France pieces from Albéniz’s Iberia Époque personality–asaballet.Originally, shehadaskedRaveltoorchestrate sixpiano known work.ItwascommissionedbyIdaRubenstein–dancer, actress, artpatron, andBelle Ravel’s precision andfastidiousnessisnowhere more apparent thaninBoléro a characteristicthatprompted StravinskytolabelRavela“Swisswatchmaker.” admiration forthingsmeticulousandmechanicalthatfounditswayintohisflawlessmusic, capital whilehewasstillababy. HisfatherwasSwiss,andinstilledinyoungMauricean tion withthingsSpanishisanaturalevolution,eventhoughhisfamilymovedtotheFrench was from thatcountry’s Basqueregion andhadgrown upinMadrid.Thus,hispreoccupa- notfarfrom inCibourne, France’sMaurice Ravelwasborn border withSpain.Hismother “Alas, ithasnomusic,”heopined. ality. Despite Boléro’s open-air settingwithafactoryinthebackground, mirroring themusic’s mechanicalperson- more passionate.Forhispart,Ravelpreferred adifferent lascive settingforhis“danse cheers tojoinin,afemaledancerhasleaptontolong table.Herstepsbecomemore and wherein aSpanishtavern peopledancebeneathabrassceilinglamp.Inresponse tothe The ballet’s scenario,asdevisedbyRubinsteinandchoreographer Bronislava Nijinska,isset the snare drum’s rhythm. up toEmajor. Cmajorissoonreestablished, however, andthewholeorchestra takesup is playing.Afternearly15minutesinCmajor, Ravelthrows curveballbyshifting aharmonic underpinning becomesthickerandlouderuntil,toward theveryend,whole orchestra so unceremoniously poundedoutonthepianokeys.Aspieceprogresses, theharmonic ed incessantlybythesnare atthemelodyRavel drumasvarious instrumentstaketheirturn tral tonecolorsandawell-pacedcrescendo. issound - Itshypnotictwo-barrhythmicpattern the orchestra asbestIcan.”Andthatisexactlywhathedid,forBoléro going totryandrepeat itanumberoftimes withoutanydevelopment,graduallyincreasing Gustave Samazeuih.“Doyouthinkthisthemehasaninsistentquality?”heasked.“I’m ing atSt.Jean-de-Luz,wenttothepianoandplayedamelodywithonefingerhisfriend In hisbiographyofRavel,ArbieOrenstein relates thestoryofhowcomposer, vacation- – chosetowriteanaltogethernewwork. later waived,Ravel–aftereschewingtheideaoforchestrating oneofhisown piano pieces Recommended recording: : Last MSOperformance Approximate duration : First performance popularity, thecomposer remained unimpressed withhiscreation. , buttheyranintocopyrightrestrictions. Thoughthesewere : : 1928 Program notes by J. Mark Baker. by J. notes Mark Program 13 minutes Pierre Boulez,NewYork (Sony) Philharmonic drum); harp;celeste;strings timpani; percussion (cymbals,snare drum,tamtam,bass 4trumpets;3trombones;contrabassoon; 4horns; tuba; doubling E-flatclarinet);bassclarinet;2bassoons; doubling oboed’amore); 2clarinets(2nd Englishhorn; 2 flutes(2nddoublingpiccolo);piccolo;oboes June 2014;GilbertVarga, conductorInstrumentation: 22 November1928(asaballet) isastudyinorches- 턐 , hisbest- ,” an