Notes for: August 2, 2016
Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Turina succeeded Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados as the advocates for nationalism in Spanish classical music. To express their patriotism, Albéniz and Granados had begun using Spanish folk dances and folklore in serious concert music. It was Albéniz who persuaded de Falla and Turina to follow this trend while the two younger men were studying in Paris.
A native of Seville, Turina had graduated from the Royal Conservatory in Madrid and had even written a zarazuela, a Spanish operetta. However, he had taken little serious interest in Spanish music. After the Paris performance of Turina’s first published work, a piano quintet, Albéniz invited de Falla and Turina to a café, where he lectured them on the need for patriotism. Turina recalled being reminded that all three of them should focus on the national music of their country.
Therefore, at 32, Turina returned to Spain to perform as a pianist, to conduct the Ballet Russes and the Theatro Real, and to compose Spanish-based music, including a large body of guitar music. He received the National Music Prize, was then appointed professor of composition at the conservatory, and finally head of the music department in the Spanish Ministry of Education.
Unlike de Falla, who favored stage works, Turina’s music focused on traditional forms of Western instrumental music. Thus, he produced a symphony, piano quintet, string quartet, piano quartet, three piano trios, and two violin sonatas, as well as several instrumental works. He freely adapted these forms to express his own ideas, and he enriched them with the folk rhythms and guitar styles of the different regions of Spain, particularly his native Andalusia. This evening we hear the second of Turina’s three piano trios, composed in 1933. It is the shortest of the three trios, with its three movements taking about 15 minutes.
The first movement opens with three dramatic measures, marked Lento, which lead directly to the statement of the main theme, Allegro molto, by the first violin echoed by the piano. The contrasting middle section opens with chords on the piano, followed by a cello solo and the violin in its high register. The opening section returns, and the three instruments rhapsodize with virtuosity to an emphatic conclusion.
The second movement, Molto vivace, is a restless scherzo, but it uses the characteristic Spanish dance meter of 5/8. It is rapid and bustling, flowing without pause at a fast-moving pace.
The third movement begins slowly with heavy block chords marked Lento. This is followed by a free fantasia (Andante mosso then Allegretto) on a number of themes, with some echoes of previous movements. The music builds in tension and pace to end with strong concluding chords.