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Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 - 1894)
Espana
In 1882 Chabrier and his
wife made a 6 month tour of Spain, from the Basque region
in the North to Andalusia in the South. He wrote many letters
to friends during this trip which show him to have had a gift
for writing as fine as that of Berlioz, as well as a lively
wit and a spirited zest for life. They had trouble with fleas
in the Basque region where "being one of the coolest
in the country, the native fleas are inclined to feel the
cold and to seek warm and sheltered spots and in consequence
have a marked preference for the female body where they really
feel at home... ". But it was the south that made the
biggest impression, where they saw real flamenco dancing for
the first time. "Eh bien, mes enfants - what an eyeful
we're getting of Andalusian behinds wiggling like frolicsome
snakes!" He really loved this passionate music, even
he was so distracted by the charms of the women that he didn't
grasp the protest, the pain and grief that underlies flamenco.
When back in Paris he wrote his orchestral fantasy Espana
based on this music, and it was an immediate and major success.
The main themes are two Spanish dance tunes, a jota and a
malaguena, and the work established a voguein France for Spanish-influenced
music. (Debussy's Iberia and Ravel's Habanera & Bolero
are obvious examples.) Like all such works it is more a picture
of Spanish music than being truly Spanish, and so is not much
admired in Spain itself. But that need not worry us here,
and despite (or because of) a certain brashness, the work
is hugely enjoyable, being full of colour, life and vigour. |
