Although Arriaga did not compose many works before his death, those that exist clearly show not simply musical talent but also originality. He allowed his Basque and Spanish heritage to emerge in his music, especially in stylistic rhythms. Arriaga’s three string quartets are regarded as the pinnacle of his music and were the only works published during his lifetime.
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Ma mère l’Oye first started out as five piano duets Ravel wrote for the children of an artist friend, Cipa Godebski. The pieces were heard by Ravel’s publisher, Jacques Durand, and by patron and theater manager Jacques Rouché, both of whom felt the music should be made into a full orchestral ballet. Ravel did so in 1911, adding a prelude, four interludes and an extra scene – the Spinning Wheel Dance. Ravel, thinking practically about a theater pit, scored the ballet for a chamber orchestra, albeit a unique one. He asks for most of the second players in the woodwinds to double (piccolo, English horn and contrabassoon) plus asks for a wide range of percussion instruments including tam-tam and glockenspiel. Add to that harp and celeste and Ravel gives the music a veritable rainbow of colors. Speaking of color, that is the primary purpose of the prelude: inviting the audience into a magical, colorful world.
JANUARY 23 & 24, 2022
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PIAZZOLLA, RAVEL, AND MORE
The opera Los esclavos felices, or The Happy Slaves, was written in 1820 when Arriaga was only 14 years old. It is unfortunate that only the overture remains today; indeed, scholars are not sure even what the story was. The overture begins with a pastoral Andante and an elegant, artfully balanced melody. In this opening, one can hear shades of Beethoven in the complex countermelody heard in the lower strings. After two held chords, an Allegro assai breaks forth with a tune that is essentially a variation of the first. Before long, a new and operatic melody appears, reminiscent of those by Rossini even down to the “chug-chug-chug-chug” of the accompaniment. The entire work is filled with the joy of classical elegance and the singing lyricism of early romantic opera.
Mother Goose (Ma mère l’Oye)
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The Director | Yajaira Surrett HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
