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WILHEM LATCHOUMIA
In addition to his works originally conceived for keyboard, Falla also published two
sets of transcriptions of music from his ballets.
Even before his move to Granada in 1919, the composer had already been inspired
by his interest in the gypsy community to write his emblematic work
El amor
brujo
(Love the magician), wholly in thrall to the magical spell of
cante jondo
. It
was originally a melodrama, written in 1914-15 for Pastora Imperio’s theatre and
dance company. The second and final version, however, took the form of a ballet,
premiered at the Trianon Lyrique in Paris on 22 May 1925 with La Argentina and
Escudero in the leading roles. Its success was such that Falla chose to produce a
version for piano of the four movements that comprise the orchestral suite from
the ballet. When confronted with the relatively bare textures of the keyboard,
however, he also inserted elements of recitative that take the piano suite closer
to the action of the initial pantomime. The listener accompanies Candelas, torn
between the ghost of her former lover and her passion for Carmelo. The work as a
whole produces the effect of a narration, a genuine piece of theatre on the piano.
There is nothing of this in the highly pianistic transcription, aiming at
brilliance above all, that Falla made of three dances from
El sombrero de
tres picos
(The three-cornered hat, 1918-19). Here the performer’s discourse
is king, and the hyperactive fingers may savour the skilful blend of
folkloric elements with frequent references to Scarlattian keyboard style.
These three display pieces – a rare occurrence in Falla – are excellent
vehicles for barnstorming pianism.