Festa no Sertão (Ciclo brasileiro)

Festa no Sertão is usually translated as “Jungle Festival” although Sertão is actually an area of Brazil with mainly stunted vegation and nothing approaching a jungle. However, to judge by this third piece in the Ciclo brasileiro, written in Rio in 1937, the semi-arid landscape of Sertão does not depress the spirit of the people who live there. The opening C major Allegro animato survives almost exclusively on its vigorously syncopated rhythmic energy, the colourful exuberance of the peasant celebration brilliantly evoked in the virtuoso piano writing. After a slightly slower middle section, in which the right hand continues the activity while the left hand grasps the dense chords of a bluesy melody in C minor, the initial rhythmic energy is not only renewed but also extended and, finally, acclerated.