Concert Program VI

SPANISH INSPIRATIONS

Mining a multifaceted, centuries-old musical heritage cultivated in relative isolation from the rest of Western Europe, the composers of Spain around the turn of the twentieth century wove a rich tapestry from the diverse strands of their country’s musical traditions: its ecstatic sacred music, the dramatic fervor of Spanish opera and zarzuela, and the hot-blooded intensity of flamenco. “Spanish Inspirations” brings together music by three of the country’s most influential voices during this time: Isaac Albéniz, Joaquín Turina, and the country’s greatest composer of the twentieth century, Manuel de Falla, whose Siete canciones populares españolas illustrate Spain’s seductive folk music. The program also features chamber music masterpieces by the foremost French composers of the day, who fell under the spell of their Spanish counterparts. The hypnotic second movement of Claude Debussy’s String Quartet, a seminal work of the Impressionist style, evokes the sound of Spanish guitars, while Maurice Ravel’s sensuous Piano Trio recalls the folk dances of the composer’s own Basque ancestry.

PROGRAM

Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909)
Sevilla (1886); Mallorca (1889); Torre Bermeja (1888)

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Siete canciones populares españolas (1914)

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
String Quartet in g minor, op. 10 (1893)

Joaquín Turina (1882–1949)
La oración del torero (1925)

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Piano Trio (1914)

Monday, August 9

8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
Tickets: $72 adult; $35 student

Prelude Performance*
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall
Free Admission

Tuesday, August 10

8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton
Tickets: $60/$50 adult; $30/$20 student

Prelude Performance*
6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton
Free Admission

ARTISTS

Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Alessio Bax, piano
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Laurence Lesser, cello
Jupiter String Quartet
   Nelson Lee, violin
   Megan Freivogel, violin
   Liz Freivogel, viola
   Daniel McDonough, cello

*Learn more about Prelude Performances »

Image: John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). El Jaleo, 1882. Oil on canvas. © Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, USA/The Bridgeman Art Library