Clelia Iruzun, Jac van Steen, Ulster Orchestra - Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat, Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2025) [24/96]

SOMM Recordings is pleased to announce a release devoted to the singular 20th century Spanish composer and pianist, Manuel de Falla, with three late-Romantic scores that capture the very essence of Spain: The Three-Cornered Hat, Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Seven Spanish Folksongs.

Against the backdrop of the First World War, Falla found fame and recognition in Spain as not only a leading composer, but one with a growing international reputation. This status was confirmed when Sergei Diaghilev commissioned the ballet, El sombrero de tres picos, for the Ballet Russes to perform in London in 1919, with stage designs by Pablo Picasso. The ballet, like the novel by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon that inspired it, incorporates Spanish storytelling that conjures up everyday village life, and Falla’s music is rich in echoes of traditional Spanish folk tunes.

Following a musically enriching sojourn in Paris from 1907 to 1914, Falla returned to Spain with the completed Siete canciones populares españolas and sketches for what would become Noches en los jardines de España. Subtitled ‘symphonic impressions for piano and orchestra,’ Noches en los jardines de España is a three-movement portrayal of the sounds and sights of Falla’s native Andalusia rendered magical under the cover of darkness. Following the premiere in Madrid in 1916, Falla himself was the soloist for the work’s first performance in London in 1921.

While El sombrero de tres picos and Noches en los jardines de España were Falla’s imaginative evocations of Spanish folk music, both the texts and the melodies of Siete canciones populares españolas were traditional, although Falla’s original arrangement for soprano and piano added much to the effectiveness of these songs from different regions of Spain. This work is one of Falla’s most arranged compositions; the orchestrated version here is by Luciano Berio.

This recording features the Ulster Orchestra with their Principal Guest Conductor, Jac van Steen. The soloist for Noches en los jardines de España is the London based Brazilian pianist, Clelia Iruzun, one of SOMM’s long-time collaborators and treasured artists. She is undoubtedly amongst the finest pianists in South American and Iberian repertoire currently performing in Europe, and several composers have dedicated works to her. The prize-winning Irish mezzo soprano, Sarah Richmond, is making her CD debut in Siete canciones populares españolas.

Tracklist:
01 - El sombrero de tres picos_ Introducción
02 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 1_ I. La tarde
03 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 1_ II. Danza de la molinera
04 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 1_ III. Las uvas
05 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 2_ IV. Danza de los vecinos
06 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 2_ V. Danza del molinero
07 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 2_ VI. Danza del corregidor
08 - El sombrero de tres picos, Pt. 2_ VII. Danza final
09 - Noches en los jardines de España_ I. En el generalife
10 - Noches en los jardines de España_ II. Danza lejana
11 - Noches en los jardines de España_ III. En los jardines de la sierra de Córdoba
12 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 1, El paño moruno
13 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 2, Seguidilla murciana
14 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 3, Asturiana
15 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 4, Jota
16 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 5, Nana
17 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 6, Canción
18 - 7 Canciones populares españolas (Arr. for Voice & Orchestra by Luciano Berio)_ No. 7, Polo


Thanks to the Original customer!