Enrique Granados (1867-1916)

Unlike de Falla (whom he influenced), Granados wished to compose essentially as an inheritor of the Spanish tradition. Born in Lleida, Catalonia, and taught in Paris by Felipe Pedrell who shared his nationalist dedication, his first success was at the end of the 1890s, with the zarzuela ‘Maria del Carmen’, which at a time when royal patronage mattered, earned the approval of King Alfonso XIII.

In 1911 he gave the first performance of his suite for piano Goyescas, which became his most famous work and which I am listening to as I write (Alicia de Larrocha’s recording). Granados was a painter as well as a musician, and this set of six pieces are based on the paintings of Goya, an artist whom he greatly admired. The work was a great success and, encouraged to expand it, in 1914, he wrote an opera based on the subject.

The outbreak of World Wall forced the opera’s European premiere to be canceled but it was performed for the first time in New York two years later. Whilst in the U.S.A. he was asked to perform before President Woodrow Wilson which caused him to miss his passage back to Spain. Instead, he took a ship to England, and then a ferry to France which was torpedoed by a German submarine. In attempting to save his wife who was in the water, Granados jumped out of the lifeboat and drowned. The tragic irony of his death was that he had a morbid fear of water.

Granados’ music was mainly instrumental although he also composed several zarzuelas, an orchestral tone poem based on Dante’s Divine Comedy, and many songs. Much of his piano music has been transcribed for the classical guitar and was frequently played by Pablo Casals and his successors in the repertoire. Naxos in their Spanish series have produced ten discs of his music, the last of which will be published at the end of February 2008, and contains piano music (as most of the others), but for four hands or two pianos. The details of the set of recordings can be found on the Naxos website.

As is so often the case of a composer’s early death, one can’t help but wonder at how his career might have developed, but also how much glorious music is lost to us.

B.R.

Orchestra Filarmonica de Gran Canaria

The Canary Islands are for many people the place to go for sun, sand, sea; and sleepy siestas after long lunches. But the Gran Canaria Island has a special cultural fame through its orchestra, which performs in the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, named after the renowned Spanish tenor, who although of Austrian descent was actually born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. (Kraus had an exceptional lyrical voice that made it possible for him still to be singing in his 70’s).

The orchestra was founded in 1845 and may have had an uneven history as it struggled to survive, but in more recent years it has gained in reputation, has toured in other countries including China, as well as performing extensively in Spain. They appear in Madrid and Barcelona and have been designated as one of the ‘Great World Orchestras’. The International Festival of Music in the Euroresidentes’ home city of Alicante, held in July and August, has welcomed the orchestra as part of their annual programme, and so has the Alicante Contemporary Music Festival held in late September. The orchestra contributes to a very lively musical scene in the islands. I see that also during this and next month the Hague Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw orchestras are in residence in the Canary Islands, and the Gran Canaria Orchestra itself is presenting a concert performance of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ in Las Palmas on February 15th.

The English conductor Adrian Lepper is closely associated with the orchestra. He was its Director of Music for some years, but is still one of their favoured conductors. Together they have made several discs for the redoubtable Naxos label. They include recordings of symphonies by Sibelius, Mahler and Dvorák, and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, as well as a Spanish repertoire CD of music by Rodrigo and Turina and interestingly Walton's Symphony No.1 (music which is about as ‘un-Spanish’ as you can get!) But he and the orchestra have also recorded a series of three discs for ASV which covers an extensive range of the contemporary Spanish repertoire, including music by Halffter and Montsalvatge.

The Orchestra seems to lack an up to date website and its distinction as a long-standing ensemble in an area known only for relaxation and pleasure by most holiday-makers, deserves one. Certainly if I was to go on holiday there I would first find out whether they were performing!

B.R.

Music Tells The Story

Francisco Javier (better known outside the Spanish world as St.Francis Xavier) was a much travelled man. Accompanied by members of the Jesuits, the order which he co-founded with Ignatius Loyala, his missionary journeys took him to Goa and the Portuguese Indian colonies and then to southern India and Indonesia. In 1547 he met a Japanese nobleman and encouraged by him, eventually two years later he was able to begin work in Japan, established congregations in three towns, his mission being continued by his Jesuit successors when he left to continue his travels elsewhere.

In 1552 he set sail on the Santa Cruz for China reaching the Chinese island of Shanchuan, 14 miles off the mainland. There on 21st November, he fainted after celebrating Mass. He died on 3rd December, at the age of 46, without having fulfilled his ambition of preaching in China. He had incredible and dangerous experiences, supported by the King of Portugal his patron and commissioned by the Pope.

His story – and especially his travels - have inspired Jordi Savall i Bernadet, the Catalan viol player, conductor, and composer, to compile a new double CD of music that reflects those travels. Savall has been one of the major figures in the field of early music since the 1970s, and is largely responsible for bringing the viol (viola da gamba) back to life on the stage. His repertory ranges from Medieval to Renaissance and Baroque music.

With the title 'La Ruta de Oriente' the discs reflect Javier's historical staging posts and times, from his birth in Navarre to the start of his missionary travels, using the history or a remarkable man as the scaffolding for an imaginative and exotic sequence of forty nine pieces of music which begin with the Spain of Ferdinand and Isabella and end with the traditions of that period in Japan and China.

A recent review of the CD’s (which are published by Alia Vox) is enthusiastic about the performances by Savall’s ‘ ensemble Hesperion together with an impressive number of soloists with whom he has made many recordings, and complemented here by Japanese performers. Early music is not quite my scene, but this is an interesting way of linking a notable history with the music of its day. There is a lavish booklet that goes with the album.

B.R.

Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)

News of someone’s death is somehow sadder when you hear of it at Christmas time, which was how we felt when we learned that Oscar Peterson had died. He has been one of our jazz heroes ever since we first heard his mercurial pianism in the 1960’s and over the years have seen some of his TV appearances and bought some of his recordings.

People who know about such things say he was a disciple of the famous Art Tatum whom he revered, but he was famous in his own right as a giant of the keyboard with the most astonishing avalanche of inventive variations that became virtually new music. He was a giant in every way, with enormous hands, sitting massively on his piano stool and acknowledging his audience and whoever were his instrumental companions, but delighting in his own powers, almost as if he was playing for himself but sharing his enjoyment.

During an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Peterson played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington (who called him the ‘Maharajah of the keyboard’), Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He is also remembered for the trio he led with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar in the 1950s, producing in the opinion of some his best work.

Canadian by birth and trained as a classical pianist, he quickly found fame in his chosen form of music. ‘A jazz player is an instant composer,’ Peterson once said, whilst conceding that jazz didn’t have the mass appeal of other musical genres. ‘You have to think about it, it's an intellectual form.’ He has spoken too about his ‘will to perfection’ and in his autobiography wrote ‘it requires you to collect all your sense, emotions, physical strength and mental power, and focus them totally onto the performance – utter dedication, every time you play’.

Amongst the many tributes following the news of his death, Herbie Hancock, his only obvious successor as the world’s greatest jazz pianist, says that Peterson ‘redefined swing for modern jazz pianists….no one will ever take his place’.

And we can still listen to him.

B.R.