Andalusian Inspiration

I have been listening again to a CD of music by Joaquin Turin(1882-1949) who I wrote about early in these postings (13.07.2005). He and Manuel de Falla represent a generation of Spanish composers in the earlier part of the last century, each of them distinctly themselves but both influenced by their friends Debussy and Ravel whom they met in their Parisian years. Turin composed many works for small ensembles and soloists but was the only Spanish composer of his time to produce a symphony. The Sinfonia Sevillana is regarded as his orchestral masterpiece. I have it on disc in the Naxos ‘Spanish Classics’ series, the Castile and Leon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Max Bragado Darman.

The latest in this series consists of compositions by Lorenzo Palomo, who though based in Germany for many years, says of his work that he has been ‘faithful to the most authentic Andalusian music, introducing a number of Arabic and Hebraic melismas as well as cadences characteristic of flamenco’. The disc includes his Sinfonia a Granada, which I have yet to hear.

It is this national or regional loyalty which is so characteristic of much Spanish contemporary music, where the link with popular culture is always so strong. That is particularly true of Turina, whose work like Palomo’s, shows the influence of traditional Andalusian music, whereas his friend de Falla was perhaps more adventurous.

Turina was born in Seville although his family were originally from Northern Italy. He studied there as well as in Madrid. Living in Paris from 1905 to 1914, he took composition lessons from Vincent d'Indy and studied the piano under the legendry composer and virtuoso pianist Moszkowski. He and de Falla returned to Madrid in 1914, where he worked as a composer, teacher and critic, and in 1931 was appointed the professor of composition at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, where he carried out a thorough reform despite the restrictions which operated during the Franco years, and constrained so many artists. He remained there until he died in 1949.

His works include the operas ‘Margot’ (1914) and ‘Jardín de Oriente’ (1923), La oración del torero (written first for a lute quartet, then string quartet, then string orchestra), chamber music, piano works, guitar pieces and songs, the Danzas fantasticas, also on the Naxos disc mentioned aboveas well as La Procesion del Rocio. This is his first work for orchestra and represents the annual procession in the village of that name, with a lovely melody worthy of a Hollywood movie and the sound of a pipe and drum as the journey proceeds. It’s a delightful work.

B.R.