JMR’s Greatest Hits

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.

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)

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.

The first scene is the Spinning Wheel Dance, where the Princess Florine dances in her garden as her nurse works at the spinning wheel. The Princess pricks herself on the spindle and falls into a deep sleep. A fairy appears to watch over the Princess and we hear the Pavane for Sleeping Beauty, introduced by the flute in a haunting melody.

The listener now experiences Florine’s dreams, starting with a conversation between Beauty, represented by clarinet, and the Beast, represented by contrabassoon. During this waltz, the Beast is transformed, with a harp flourish, into a Prince as a noble cello takes over the melody. The next dream is of Tom Thumb, the oboe and English horn, walking through the woods with chirping birds eating his breadcrumbs, as illustrated with violin whistle-harmonics and flute flutter-tonguing. Finally, after an interlude featuring celeste and harp, Ravel gives us the last dream, one of a princess who has been cursed into ugliness by a witch. We see her travel to the Land of Pagodas, Chinese figurines made of porcelain and crystal which are evoked by pentatonic scales. The last scene takes us back to Florine’s Fairy Garden. Prince Charming wakes the sleeping Princess, the two fall in love and the Fairy, represented with a high violin solo, blesses their betrothal. Thus ensues a glittering, happy ending!