Joaquín Turina - Orchestral Works Vol. 1 (Juanjo Mena)

Information

Composer: Joaquín Turina

• Danzas fantásticas, Op. 22
• Poema en forma de canciones, Op. 19
• Saeta en forma de Salve a la Virgen de la Esperanza, Op. 60
• Farruca from Triptico', Op. 45
• Ritmos, Op. 43
• Sinfonía sevillana, Op. 23

Clara Mouriz, mezzo-soprano

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Juanjo Mena, conductor

Date: 2013

Label: Chandos

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Review

The comparative versions listed below of the purely orchestral works show how popular Turina’s colourfully scored compositions have become. It was not always so and Bátiz and de Almeida blazed a trail on disc for what was once a rather unfashionable composer. While not the most profound composer, Turina was a splendid tone-poet of his country and his Sinfonía sevillana, while not a true symphony, is expertly put together. I have always preferred it to the Danzas fantásticas, which never strike me as overly fantastic. The choreographic fantasia Ritmos is of higher quality, whether in orchestral or piano guise.

The three vocal items here are novelties; Poema en forma de canciones and Saeta en forma de Salve a la Virgen de la Esperanza have both appeared on disc before but with piano accompaniment. They are sung with ravishing sweetness of tone by Clara Mouriz, who sounds born to sing them. The ‘Farruca’ from the Triptico rounds her contribution off brilliantly.

Mena’s accounts of the Danzas, Ritmos and Sinfonía stand up well against some strong competition. The orchestra’s playing and Chandos’s sumptuous sound place this new disc in the front rank, edging them ahead of Bátiz and de Almeida, and Leaper on ASV, although none is in any way inadequate. For price, Naxos’s remains a strong competitor although I feel bound to say the playing of the BBC Phil is rather more polished. You pays your money and you makes your choice.

 

— Guy Rickards

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Joaquín Turina (9 December 1882 – 14 January 1949) was a Spanish composer. He pursued his early studies in Seville and Madrid before relocating to Paris in 1905, where he trained under Moritz Moszkowski and Vincent d'Indy. Influenced by Isaac Albéniz, Turina developed a distinctly Spanish idiom that combined Andalusian folk traditions with French impressionism. His music frequently pays homage to his native Seville, like in Sinfonía sevillana and Canto a Sevilla. Known for orchestral pieces such as Danzas fantásticas and La oración del torero, Turina also composed operas, songs, piano miniatures and chamber music.

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Juanjo Mena (born 21 September 1965 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish conductor. He began his music studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory, and later attended the Madrid Royal Conservatory. He also studied conducting with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich. Mena was artistic director and principal conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra (from 1999 to 2008), chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic (from 2011 to 2018), and principal conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival (from 2017 to 2023). He has commercially recorded for Naxos Records and the Chandos label.

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