Rapsodie espagnole

Prélude à la nuit: très modéré

Malaguena: assez vif

Habanera: assez lent et d’un rythme las

Feria: assez animé – très modéré – assez animé

The keyboard version of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole, his first major orchestral work, is not a an arrangement in the ordinary sense of the word. The third movement, Habanera, was first performed as a two-piano piece in 1898 and it must have been partly to make use of that early but still unpublished masterpiece of musical impressionism that the composer conceived the idea of the orchestral Rapsodie espagnole in 1907. So it is the orchestral rather than the two-piano version of Habanera that is the arrangement. As for the other three movements, Ravel worked on them at the keyboard, as he did with most of his orchestral music, completing the four-hands version in 1907 and the orchestral version a year later. Inspired by a life-long passion for the music of Spain, inherited in the first place from his Basque mother, he was unfailingly skilful in evoking the atmosphere of “the land caressed by the sun” - to recall the line from Baudelaire quoted at the head of the manuscript of Habanera - no matter what medium he was working in.

Certainly, the Rapsodie espagnole is scarcely less convincing as a piano duo or piano duet than it is in its orchestral colours. The four-note descending motif which runs through Prélude à la Nuit - and which recurs in both Malaguena and Feria - is just as effective in creating a nocturnal atmosphere and the snatches of languorous melody are just as suggestive of the Andalusian setting of the piece. If the keyboard version lacks a little in personality in the cante jondo episodes in both Malaguena and Feria, where the soulful voice of the cor anglais is such an asset in the orchestral version, there is no reduction in the seductive authenticity of the triple-time dance rhythms in the one and no loss of festive brilliance in the other. Habanera could not be more evocatively scored than it is here: the dance is observed mostly at an impressionist distance and is seen in full focus only on a subsidiary motif before it quietly evaporates into silence. The ending of Feria, which is based on the vigorous triple-time jota native to Aragon in the north-east of Spain, is as exciting as its demands on the two pianists are excessive.

Prélude à la nuit: très modéré

Malaguena: assez vif

Habanera: assez lent et d’un rythme las

Feria: assez animé – très modéré – assez animé

The two-piano version of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole, his first major orchestral work, is not a an arrangement in the ordinary sense of the word. The third movement, Habanera, was first performed as a two-piano piece in 1898 and it must have been partly to make use of that early but still unpublished masterpiece of musical impressionism that the composer conceived the idea of the orchestral Rapsodie espagnole in 1907. So it is the orchestral rather than the two-piano version of Habanera that is the arrangement. As for the other three movements, Ravel worked on them at the keyboard, as he did with most of his orchestral music, completing the two-piano version in 1907 and the orchestral version a year later. Inspired by a life-long passion for the music of Spain, inherited in the first place from his Basque mother, he was unfailingly skilful in evoking the atmosphere of “the land caressed by the sun” - to recall the line from Baudelaire quoted at the head of the manuscript of Habanera - no matter what medium he was working in.

Certainly, the Rapsodie espagnole is scarcely less convincing on two pianos than it is in its orchestral colours. The four-note descending motif which runs through Prélude à la Nuit - and which recurs in both Malaguena and Feria - is just as effective in creating a nocturnal atmosphere and the snatches of languorous melody are just as suggestive of the Andalusian setting of the piece. If the two-piano version lacks a little in personality in the cante jondo episodes in both Malaguena and Feria, where the soulful voice of the cor anglais is such an asset in the orchestral version, there is no reduction in the seductive authenticity of the triple-time dance rhythms in the one and no loss of festive brilliance in the other. Habanera could not be more evocatively scored than it is here: the dance is observed mostly at an impressionist distance and is seen in full focus only on a subsidiary motif before it quietly evaporates into silence. The ending of Feria, which is based on the vigorous triple-time jota native to Aragon in the north-east of Spain, is as exciting as its demands on the two pianists are excessive.

Gerald Larner©

Prélude à la nuit: très modéré

Malaguena: assez vif

Habanera: assez lent et d’un rythme las

Feria: assez animé – très modéré – assez animé

Ravel’s passion for the music of Spain was in the first place inherited from his mother who, though a Basque rather than a Spaniard, spent much of her early life in Spain and spoke fluent Spanish. Compounded by several other formative experiences it expressed itself first in his Habanera for two pianos written when he was no more than twenty. Twelve years later he incorporated the still unpublished Habanera in the Rapsodie espagnole, the first purely orchestral work of his maturity and in some ways his most inspired.

The poetic atmosphere of Prélude à la nuit (Prelude at night) is obtained by extraordinarily simple means, a gentle ostinato of four notes in descending order drawing a veil over events which are only half perceived in the background - the merest hint of a dance rhythm on woodwind and pizzicato basses, a snatch of melody on clarinets, a passionate but still distant expression of nostalgia on divided strings. The scene is twice illuminated by brilliant cadenzas, one for clarinets and one for bassoons

There is an earlier example of an orchestral malaguena in Chabrier’s España - a favourite work by the composer who, Ravel once declared, influenced him more than any other. Ravel’s Malaguena is introduced by an ostinato strummed on lower strings with clarinets picking out another four-note phrase in descending order. The main theme is introduced by muted trumpets heightened by percussion colours, the somewhat sleepy reply of the violins only briefly delaying the action. Cut off at its height by an outburst of flamenco song on cor anglais, the dance is not taken up again: night falls in the shape of the four-note phrase from the Prelude which is neatly integrated with the malaguena ostinato just before the end of the movement.

Chabrier also wrote an Habanera, which Ravel knew and which was clearly the inspiration for his own early Habanera for two pianos. Certainly, Ravel’s main theme, introduced by oboe and cor anglais over delicate rhythmic figuration on the strings, is scarcely different from Chabrier’s. But Ravel’s objective, as indicated by a line from Baudelaire at the head of the manuscript - “in the scented land caressed by the sun” – is more poetic than Chabrier’s. His treatment of the characteristic rhythm, beginning with a syncopated variant on clarinets in the opening bars, is more sophisticated and his view of the dance is more elusive: it is observed mostly at an impressionist distance and is seen in full focus only on a subsidiary motif before it quietly evaporates at the end.

There is nothing elusive about the festive last movement which, like Chabrier’s España, is based on the vigorous triple-time jota native to Aragon. Anticipation is aroused by a delicately scored introduction and the first entry of the main theme is made comparatively quietly on three muted trumpets. High spirits and dynamic energy are not restrained for long. As in Malagueña, however, the dance is cut off at its height by a soulful cor anglais solo, accompanied in this case by eerie glissandi on a double bass and two cellos, and night falls again in the shape of the four-note phrase from the Prelude. But this time the dance is taken up again, driven to a climax and, after a pause for breath, powered through an acceleration to a dazzlingly brilliant ending.

Written first in a two-piano version in 1907 and orchestrated early in 1908, the Rapsodie espagnole was first performed in Paris in March 1908.

Gerald Larner

Prélude à la nuit

Malaguena

Habanera

Feria

The next expression of Ravel’s passion for the music of Spain, after the Sérénade grotesque of 1893, was the Habanera for two pianos first performed, as one of two Sites auriculaire, by the composer with Ricardo Viñes in 1898. Ten years later, after he had further indulged himself in the Spanish idiom in the piano version of Alborada del gracioso, he incorporated the still unpublished Habanera in the Rapsodie espagnole - the first purely orchestral work of his maturity and in some ways his most inspired.

The poetic atmosphere of Prélude à la nuit (Prelude at night) is obtained by extraordinarily simple means. A gentle ostinato of four notes in descending order draws a veil over events which are only half perceived in the background - the merest hint of a dance rhythm on woodwind and pizzicato basses, a snatch of melody on clarinets, a passionate but still distant expression of nostalgia on divided strings. The scene is twice illuminated by cadenzas (one for clarinets, one for bassoons), echoing perhaps from the Capriccio espagnol, which Ravel had heard Rimsky-Korsakov himself conduct eighteen years earlier.

Although there is no example of the malaguena (a moderately lively dance in triple time) in Capriccio espagnol, there is one in Chabrier’s España - a favourite work by the composer who, Ravel once declared, influenced him more than any other. Ravel’s Malaguena is introduced by an ostinato strummed on lower strings with clarinets picking out another four-note phrase in descending order. The main theme is introduced by muted trumpets heightened by percussion colours, the somewhat sleepy reply of the violins only briefly delaying the action. Cut off at its height by an outburst of flamenco song on cor anglais, the dance is not taken up again: night falls in the shape of the four-note phrase from the Prélude à la nuit which is neatly integrated with the malaguena ostinato just before the end of the movement.

Chabrier also wrote an Habanera, which Ravel knew and which was clearly the inspiration for his own early Habanera for two pianos. Certainly, Ravel’s main theme, introduced by oboe and cor anglais over delicate rhythmic figuration on the strings, is not very different from Chabrier’s. But Ravel’s objective, as indicated by a line from Baudelaire at the head of the manuscript - “in the scented land caressed by the sun” – is more poetic than Chabrier’s. His treatment of the habanera rhythm, beginning with a syncopated variant on clarinets in the opening bars, is more sophisticated and his view of the dance is more elusive: it is observed mostly at an impressionist distance and is seen in full focus only on a subsidiary motif before it quietly evaporates at the end.

There is nothing elusive about the festive last movement which, like Chabrier’s España, is based on the vigorous triple-time jota native to Aragon in the north-east of the country. Anticipation is aroused by a delicately scored introduction, contrasting the bright colours of upper woodwind with muted harmonics and tremolandos on lower strings, and the main theme enters comparatively quietly on three muted trumpets. High spirits and dynamic energy are not restrained for long. As in Malagueña, however, the dance is cut off at its height by a soulful cor anglais solo, accompanied in this case by eerie glissandi on a double bass and two cellos, and night falls again in the shape of the four-note phrase from Prélude à la nuit. But this time the dance is taken up again, driven to a climax and, after a pause for breath, powered through an acceleration to a dazzlingly brilliant ending.

Prélude à la nuit

Malaguena

Habanera

Feria

Ravel’s passion for the music of Spain was in the first place inherited from his mother who, though a Basque rather than a Spaniard, spent much of her early life in Spain and spoke fluent Spanish. Compounded by several other formative experiences – his attachment to the Basque country where he was born, his friendship with the Spanish pianist and fellow-student Ricardo Viñes, his boyhood enthusiasm for Chabrier’s España and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol – it expressed itself first in his Habanera for two pianos written when he was no more than twenty. Twelve years later, after he had further indulged himself in the Spanish idiom in the Alborada del gracioso in the piano suite Miroirs, he incorporated the still unpublished Habanera in the Rapsodie espagnole, the first purely orchestral work of his maturity and in some ways his most inspired.

The poetic atmosphere of Prélude à la nuit (Prelude at night) is obtained by extraordinarily simple means, a gentle ostinato of four notes in descending order drawing a veil over events which are only half perceived in the background - the merest hint of a dance rhythm on woodwind and pizzicato basses, a snatch of melody on clarinets, a passionate but still distant expression of nostalgia on divided strings. The scene is twice illuminated by cadenzas (one for clarinets, one for bassoons), echoing perhaps from Capriccio espagnol, which Ravel had heard Rimsky-Korsakov himself conduct eighteen years earlier.

Although there is no example of the malaguena (a moderately lively dance in triple time) in Capriccio espagnol, there is one in Chabrier’s España - a favourite work by the composer who, Ravel once declared, influenced him more than any other. Ravel’s Malaguena is introduced by an ostinato strummed on lower strings with clarinets picking out another four-note phrase in descending order. The main theme is introduced by muted trumpets heightened by percussion colours, the somewhat sleepy reply of the violins only briefly delaying the action. Cut off at its height by an outburst of flamenco song on cor anglais, the dance is not taken up again: night falls in the shape of the four-note phrase from the Prelude which is neatly integrated with the malaguena ostinato just before the end of the movement.

Chabrier also wrote an Habanera, which Ravel knew and which was clearly the inspiration for his own early Habanera for two pianos. Certainly, Ravel’s main theme, introduced by oboe and cor anglais over delicate rhythmic figuration on the strings, is scarcely different from Chabrier’s. Of course, Spanish modal melody, the languorous manner of the habanera and its characteristic rhythm are available to anyone. Besides, Ravel’s objective, as indicated by a line from Baudelaire at the head of the manuscript - “in the scented land caressed by the sun” – is more poetic than Chabrier’s. His treatment of the habanera rhythm, beginning with a syncopated variant on clarinets in the opening bars, is more sophisticated and his view of the dance is more elusive: it is observed mostly at an impressionist distance and is seen in full focus only on a subsidiary motif before it quietly evaporates at the end.

There is nothing elusive about the festive last movement which, like Chabrier’s España, is based on the vigorous triple-time jota native to Aragon in the north-east of the country. Anticipation is aroused by a delicately scored introduction, contrasting the bright colours of upper woodwind with muted harmonics and tremolandos on lower strings, and the main theme enters comparatively quietly on three muted trumpets. High spirits and dynamic energy are not restrained for long. As in Malagueña, however, the dance is cut off at its height by a soulful cor anglais solo, accompanied in this case by eerie glissandi on a double bass and two cellos, and night falls again in the shape of the four-note phrase from Prélude à la nuit. But this time the dance is taken up again, driven to a climax and, after a pause for breath, powered through an acceleration to a dazzlingly brilliant ending.

Written first in a two-piano version in 1907 and orchestrated early in 1908, the Rapsodie espagnole was first performed by the Orchestre Colonne, conducted by Edouard Colonne, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, on 15 March 1908.

Gerald Larner©