Pantomime and Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor brujo

For the real Spanish thing - translated into orchestral terms, that is - there is no better place to go than Falla’s two ballets, El Amor brujo (Love the Magician) and El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat). El Amor brujo is a story of Spanish gypsy passion - written for the Andalusian dancer Pastora Imperio who starred in the first performance in Madrid in 1915 - accompanied by music born directly out of Spanish folk song and inspired by the authentic flamenco spirit. The central section of Pantomime, after the opening exclamations on trumpet and woodwind, is a seductive tango that makes effective use of the dark lower registers of flutes and clarinets and the persuasive voice of a solo cello. The most popular number that Falla ever wrote, The Ritual Fire Dance - based on a genuine gypsy ritual introduced by oboe and repeated in a magical context of primitive rhythms and weird orchestral colours - is performed at night to ward off evil spirits.