Procesión del Roció

Turina’s first orchestral score – written in 1912 and performed with encouraging success in both Madrid and Paris – is unmistakably Andalusian in both its setting and, in spite of some evidence of his Parisian training, its idiom. It was inspired by memories of the Procesión del Rocío, a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of Rocío just outside Seville which takes place every Pentecost and brings pilgrims from all over Andalusia.

The first section, ‘Triana en fiesta’, sets the scene: crowds are gathered in Triana, the Gypsy quarter of Seville to begin their procession to the shrine. People dance soleares to the lively rhythms that animate the opening bars and seguidillas to the more lyrical melody introduced by a solo oboe a little later. A drunk, heard on solo strings, also appears on the scene.

The procession, bearing an image of the Virgin Mary, begins on the entry of flute and drum with material which recurs throughout. The religious element of the occasion is represented by an expressive chorale which, quietly introduced by divided cellos, is presented in full orchestral glory amid chiming bells at the climax of the procession. Trumpets add the Marcha real – the Spanish National Anthem – to the celebration. As the procession moves away, the fiesta briefly resumes but dies away at the end.