5 Nana
6 Canción
3 Asturiana
7 Polo
Programme Note
Manuel de Falla (pronounced ‘fire’) was from a small town in south-western Spain and his first great success came with the one-act opera La vida breve (Life is short) written in 1905. This allowed him to move to Paris where he became part of an artistic community that included Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky. Much of Falla’s output has a distinctly Spanish feel and particularly here in his Seven Spanish Folksongs. He takes the tunes and ‘reworks’ or ‘elevates’ them by adding original and clever accompaniments. They are amongst his most popular pieces today and are the ‘go to’ set of Spanish songs for sopranos. We will hear four today: 'Nana', a lullaby; 'Canción', a light-hearted dance; 'Asturiana', a sad lament; and 'Polo', which is violent and despairing.
Note by Rachel Leach
David Cohen cello
Alina Pritulenko piano
Recorded at LSO St Luke's 29 September 2023
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