Esplá studied in Meiningen and Munich with Reger and in
Paris with Saint-Saëns and, from 1932, was a professor at the Madrid
Conservatory, later, in 1936, becoming its director. His music, the style of
which owes something to Debussy as well as Spanish folk music, began to be
performed both in Spain and abroad. He became part of a group of intellectuals
that included the writer Gabriel Miró, the economist Germán Bernácer, the
painter Emilio Varela and the architect, Juan Vidal, who were all attracted to
the region around the Guadalest valley just inland from the Costa Blanca.
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Esplá left with
his family for Belgium not returning to Spain until 1951. In 1956 he was
elected Academician of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and in 1959 he was
awarded the Grand Cross of Alfonso X.
Esplá was interested in Spanish Levantine folk music. The
Levante (literally ‘the East’) is a name used to refer to the eastern region of
the Iberian Peninsula, broadly including Valencia, Catalonia, eastern Andalusia,
southern Aragon and the Balearic Islands. Moorish Spain developed a musical
form that influenced the folk music of the Levantine region. Esplá developed a
personal musical scale, inspired by this folk music, which permeates many of
his piano works.
Amongst his works are the symphonic poems El sueño de Eros (1910), Don Quijote velando las armas (1924), Suite levantina (1911), a cantata La Nochebuena del Diablo (1923),
a Symphony ‘Aitana’ (1958), a Symphony in D, two String Quartets, a Piano Trio,
a Piano Quintet and works for piano. There are also a number
of stage works, some of which are incomplete.
Nimbus Records www.wyastone.co.uk/all-labels/nimbus/nimbus-alliance.html have
released a two CD set of Esplá’s piano works played by Martin Jones www.owenwhitemanagement.com/pianists/Martin-Jones/ , who has already made many fine records
for Nimbus. The works on these discs are arranged chronologically.
 |
| NI 5889/90 |
The languid Romanza Antigua
(1905), that opens the first CD, was written when Esplá was only in his
teens and is influenced by Chopin. Impresiones
musicales Op.2 (1905-09) is a series of five very attractive light pieces, not
especially Spanish in feel, which open with En
el hogar (at Home). Barba Azul
(Bluebeard) is great fun, with sudden rapid passages on the piano, no doubt
invoking the sub-title ‘Sister Ana, run to the top of the tower’. Caperucita Roja (Little Red Riding Hood)
has some lovely harmonic touches, quiet and wistful in character. It is a
lovely piece, as is Cenicienta
(Cinderella), a lovely flowing melody with a fast, intricate middle section. Antano (Long Ago) concludes the set and is
rather a nostalgic piece with an attractive theme subjected to varying treatment.
Esplá’s Scherzo Op.5
(1909) is a flowing, rippling piece beautifully played by Martin Jones.
Such is the broad sweep of this piece that it hardly seems a scherzo at all. Crepúsculum (twilight) Op.15 (1912) opens slowly with, for the
first time, the subtle atmosphere of Spain. It is full of interest with shifting
tonality and first class playing from Martin Jones.
The five movement Suite
de pequeñas piezas (Suite of small pieces) (1913) has a terrific preludio
where Bach appears to peer out through Esplá’s idiom. The Canción de cuna is a lovely lullaby that even has a kind of trio
section and the Arie de Danza Pastoril
touches on Scarlatti though with a dissonant edge. An elusive, rather fragmented Ronda Levantina is full of little
variations and the final Paso de Opereta
is an affectionate take on Offenbach, a fast, comic piece.
Levante Melodias y
temas de danza (1916) consists of ten short pieces, ‘melodies on dance
themes’ that pull together as a set much more than the earlier pieces on this
disc. In particular there is an andante
which has a lovely Spanish tune, an allegro
non molto that seems to hint at a familiar tune, a beautiful little allegretto, and a lively dancing tune to
finish. These pieces are at turns thoughtful, dancing, joyful and full of
nostalgia. Martin Jones knows just how to bring out all their charm and feeling.
La pájara pinta,
Piezas Infantiles (1916-20) A Game of Forfeits opens with El Conde de Cabra, a simple little melody, followed by Doña Escotofina, more sophisticated than
the first piece and concludes with a light sparkling piece, Anton Pirulero, that has a slight French
feel.
In Tres Movimientos
para piano (Three movement for piano) (1921) the Estudio (Study) again has a slightly French feel, almost Faure, but
beautifully done. Danza Antigua
(Ancient Dance) is a very attractive piece with just the odd Spanish inflection
and Pasodoble is a lively piece to
round off. This is a lovely little work, lasting around twelve minutes, played
to perfection by Martin Jones.
The second disc in this set opens with Cantos de antaño, Piezas Infantiles (1930) Old Songs with a
beautifully written Danza, full of
lovely harmonies, a Cancion de cuna (Cradle Song), a beautifully flowing
piece and the lightly dancing Trana.
Esplá ‘s La Sierra
(1930-36) is subtitled Suite
folklorica. It opens with Canto de
vendimia (Song of the vintage), an apparent reference to wine vintages.
There follows Aire Pastoral and Danza levantina making an attractive
little collection of pieces invoking Esplá’s own particular Spanish idiom,
never too obvious or overdone.
Esplá wrote a number of Lírica
Española in the 1930’s of which numbers I, II, IV and V are recorded here.
The exact date of their composition is not known. Lírica Española I Bocetos levantinos (Levantine sketches) opens with a beautifully evocative Evocación costeña (Evocation of the
coast) before Danza de Valle (Dance of the Valley), a subtly Spanish
dance. Canción de cuna is a gently
lilting piece followed by a rhythmic, gently galloping dance, Paso de baile Serrano (Highland dance). Canto de la Umbria, nocturne is
atmospheric and slightly nostalgic and the concluding Ritmos de la huerta (Rhythms of the orchard) is a lively, yet at
times expansive, piece.
Lírica Española II
Tonadas Antiguas (Old melodies) has just a gently lilting Romance (Castilla), a restrained,
nostalgic Canto de trilla (Levante)
(Song of the Threshers) and Conseja
(Conte) that has a hesitating theme framed by a more flowing melody.
Lírica Española IV
(1930’s) is, like Lírica Española II,
a short work consisting of three pieces, a flowing and free Aire andaluz, a lovely haunting Cadencia balear and Ritmo de bolero that has a gentle rhythm, interrupted by stronger outbursts.
Lírica Española V
Suite característica, although
again consisting of three pieces, is a longer work. The Habanera grows from gentle rhythms to a lovely rich piece with
lovely little dissonances. The following Ronda
serrana has some beautiful Spanish inflections and the concluding sonatina playera is an attractive piece
that could well stand alone.
Finally in this set
there is the Sonata Española Op.53 Homenaje a Chopin (1949). This set
opened with the Romanza Antigua that
showed the early influence of Chopin on the young Esplá. Now the composer, in
his later years, pays homage to Chopin. The opening andante romantico starts quietly and darkly before allowing a
little Mediterranean warmth and passion to enter. Towards the end there are
some little trills reminiscent of Chopin. In the Mazurca sopra un tema popolare, Chopin looms large before Esplá
varies the mazurka turning this into a wildly varied piece, full of fun. The
work concludes with a fiendishly difficult allegro
brioso where there is some terrific playing from Martin Jones.
These attractive, rarely recorded, works are well worth
exploring particularly some of the later pieces which are really quite
beautiful. Martin Jones is an ideal interpreter, never allowing the slightest
little piece to fail to register. The recording is excellent and there are
interesting booklet notes on the composer.
No comments:
Post a Comment