An Evening in Spain

Last night I decided to take a little trip to Spain.  Well, I did take a little trip downtown to Abravanel Hall to hear the Utah Symphony perform music inspired by Spain and it was pretty spectacular!  The orchestra began with Espana by Emmanuel Chabrier which was written after the composer was first introduced to flamenco dancing.  It is very lively and exuberant.  Next, the orchestra played Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla with soloist Ingrid Fliter on piano.  The composer took inspiration for this piece from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.  I found it to be very moody and atmospheric at the beginning and then it becomes more passionate and stirring as it progresses.  I really enjoyed it.  After the intermission, the orchestra played a selection from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.  Carmen is the first opera that I fell in love with as a teenager (Utah Opera performed a portion of it at my school and I was captivated) and I have since seen it countless times.  The music is incredibly dramatic and my favorite selections are "The Toreador Song" and the "Habanera."  I have to admit that when the orchestra was playing the "Habanera," I couldn't help but picture the scene in Bohemian Rhapsody when Queen is pitching their idea for a new album to an EMI executive while Freddie plays a recording of it.  I even did the same fist pump that Freddie does during a particularly dramatic point in the aria!  I think the lady sitting behind me thought I was crazy!  I absolutely loved hearing it!  Next, the orchestra played Capriccio espagnol by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.  Even though Rimsky-Korsakov is one of my favorite composers, I had never heard this piece before.  I really liked it, especially the theme played by a solo clarinet during the first variation.  Finally, the orchestra played the piece that I had come specifically to hear: Bolero by Maurice Ravel.  When I was a child my Dad had a recording of various classical pieces played by a Moog synthesizer.  I loved the whole thing but Bolero was my favorite piece because the synthesizer mimicked all of the instruments, including the applause at the end!  There is a continual rhythm played by a snare drum throughout the whole piece.  Then the melody begins slowly and softly with a theme played by a solo flute and then that same theme, with variations, is repeated by all of the different instruments in the orchestra for fourteen minutes, gaining in speed and intensity until a final thundering crescendo at the end.  It is absolutely epic and I love it! I may or may not have been pumping my fist again by the end (the poor lady behind me!).  It was quite the evening and I recommend that you visit Spain, too, when this program is repeated again tonight (go here for tickets).

Note:  The guest conductor was Jun Markl who is a favorite with Utah Symphony audiences, including me!