Manuel de Falla - Orchestral Works (Eduardo Mata)

Information

Composer: Manuel de Falla

CD1

• La vida breve

CD2

• El amor brujo
• Siete canciones populares espanolas (orch. Luciano Berio)
• Homenajes
• Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat

CD3

• Master Peter's Puppet Show
• Psyché
• Julián Orbón - Himnus ad Galli Cantum
• Julián Orbón - Tres cantigas del Rey
• Harpsichord Concerto

Marta Senn, mezzo-soprano

Cecilia Angell, mezzo-soprano

Fernando de la Mora, tenor

Simón Bolívar Symphony Chorus & Orchestra of Venezuela

Julianne Baird, soprano

Rafael Puyana, harpsichord

Solistas de México

Eduardo Mata, conductor

Date: 1993, 1994 / 2004

Label: Dorian / Brilliant

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Review

These recordings (formerly on the Dorian label) are very good if not the best available for the Falla selections. Marta Senn is a fine soprano in La Vida Breve, where great care was taken to secure authenticity in the Flamenco episodes, but she doesn’t quite match Victoria de los Angeles in her classic stereo recording for EMI. Similarly in El Amor Brujo, I prefer Nati Mistral on both RCA and Decca, but this is a very lively and well played performance, with the Venezuelan orchestra in fine form. Berio’s orchestration of the Seven Popular Spanish Songs also sounds very fine, if like most Dorian recordings from this source the sound is a touch low-level. Turn it up, and everything snaps into focus nicely.

In the dances from The Three-Cornered Hat, Eduardo Mata’s interpretation strikes me as a touch lacking in sparkle and drive despite some fine details, and the big final crash on the tam-tam is missing. But Julianne Baird sings beautifully in both Master Peter’s Puppet Show and in the rare Orbón items. Rafael Puyana also serves up a masterful performance of the quirky Harpsichord Concerto, which really doesn’t require a conductor at all. The one big negative: there are no texts and translations for the vocal works, which rules this out as a first choice and diminishes its value considerably. But if you don’t care what all of the shouting is about, you can pick this up knowing that you’ve gotten a bargain.

— David Hurwitz

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Manuel de Falla (23 November 1876 – 14 November 1946) was a leading Spanish composer of the early 20th century. After relocating to Paris in 1907, he came under the influence of Debussy, Dukas and Ravel. Upon his return to Madrid in 1914, he produced major works including El amor brujo, El sombrero de tres picos, and Noches en los jardines de España, solidifying his international reputation. In later years in Granada, he composed El retablo de Maese Pedro and a Harpsichord Concerto, reflecting his shift toward a neoclassical style. Falla spent his final years in Mallorca and subsequently in Argentina.

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Eduardo Mata (5 September 1942 – 4 January 1995) was a Mexican conductor and composer. He trained at the National Conservatory of Music and later at Tanglewood. Among his teachers were Rodolfo Halffter, Carlos Chávez, Julián Orbón and Erich Leinsdorf. From 1977 to 1993, Mata led the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to a celebrated "second golden age" and producing acclaimed recordings. He also worked internationally with major orchestras and promoted Latin American music through performances and recordings. Renowned for his broad repertoire, Mata made over fifty recordings during his career.

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