Dodge the 6am passport queue at the airport and instead let the Fiesta come to you, courtesy of Guildford Symphony Orchestra’s summer concert, Viva Espana! The passion, romance and rhythms of Spain are brought to you through a mixture of native composers like de Falla (who fused the music of his homeland with an exotic dash of 20th century Impressionism) and the many others such as Rimksy-Korsakov who drew adrenaline-charged inspiration from the sounds of flamenco and guitar.
Kicking things off with a bang is Chabrier’s Espana, long one of Sir Thomas Beecham’s favourite ‘lollipops’ - short pieces he loved to use as an encore to send an audience home tapping its feet and with a big smile on its face. An exuberant and very tongue-in-cheek romp, we defy you to listen to it without humming along by the end!
Bizet’s smouldering tale of of gypsy Carmen and her soldier lover is perhaps the most famous opera of all, and certainly one with an extraordinary number of unforgettable melodies. Many composers have created showpiece concertante works drawing on its themes, and the Carmen Fantasy by Bourne will unleash star saxophonist Richard Scholfield for some dazzling pyrotechnics.
Finally, no evening of Spanish-inspired music would be complete without Ravel’s iconic Bolero. “This tune has a certain insistent quality, don’t you think?” said the composer playing it through for a friend, and 100 years, a Classic FM Hall of Fame slot and an Olympic Ice Skating Gold later, who are we to argue?
This concert is FREE for u18s (anyone still at school) and would be a perfect first concert for anyone from late primary school onwards.
• Espana - Chabrier
• La Procesion del Rocio - Turina
• Pavane pour une Enfante Defunte - Ravel
• Carmen Fantasy for Saxophone - Bizet / Bourne
• The Three Cornered Hat - Falla
• Cappricio Espagnol - Rimsky-Korsakov
• Bolero - Ravel
