Joaquín TURINA (1882-1949)
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op.67 (1931) [16:15]
Violin Sonata No.2 in G major, Op.82 Sonata espagnola
(1933-34) [15:01]
Escena andaluza, Op.7 for viola and piano quintet (1912)
[12:14]
Piano Trio No.1, Op.35 (1926) [20:49]
La oración del torero, Op.34 for string quartet
(1925) [7:53]
The Nash Ensemble (Marianne Thorsen (violin), Laura Samuel (violin,
Escena andaluza), Lawrence Power (viola), Vicci Wardman
(viola, Escena andaluza), Paul Watkins (cello), Ian Brown
(piano))
rec. 17-19 December 2010, Henry Wood Hall, London. DDD
HYPERION CDA67889 [72:14]
If you ever wished Ravel wrote more chamber music, this might
be a recording for you. This is very French music built out
of Spanish elements. It is not the music of verbs and events,
but of the feeling of the moment, atmosphere and fragrances.
It is quite Impressionistic, and with its subtle Iberian scent
it resembles Ravel the most. Also, its soft, reserved emotion
may remind you of the chamber music of Gabriel Fauré,
especially his two piano quintets. Though the sonority and the
technique may have come from the North, the rest is intrinsically
Spanish. Turina’s andalucismo is very natural:
he breathes it like air. That’s why the music is not shallow
and does not sound “postcard Spanish”. On the other
hand, it does not seem to me to be the kind of music you could
listen to in Repeat mode. It is somewhat heavy, and you need
a break from it after a while. The pressure is not strong, but
it is rather constant.
The Piano Quartet opens with a cold, resolute introduction,
which leads into a big Romantic movement in the style of César
Franck. This music could not be written by anyone but a Spanish
composer. The middle movement starts as a fiery, accentuated
Iberian scherzo - but these are just the parentheses around
a dark and pensive middle part. A Gypsy introduction leads to
an urgent, Brahmsian finale. Diverse episodes pass in front
of us over the throbbing Spanish pulse. The solemn triumphant
ending returns to the main subject of the first movement. The
overall residual feeling of the quartet is profound yet hefty,
like after some of Franck’s music. It is well wrought,
but in an academic manner, as if the form dictated the contents.
Such works can be good, but they rarely stand out in the crowd.
Turina’s Second Violin Sonata has a nickname Sonata
espagnola, so we come prepared. The first movement is a
rhapsodic set of subtle variations, with wide gestures, a generally
contented mood, yet with outbursts of passion. The second movement
is a light-footed scherzo, full of twists and accents. Next
comes a promise of a slow movement, but it is just a songlike
introduction to the Allegro moderato finale, which sounds
like something between a bolero and a malagueña.
The style resembles de Falla and, as often in Spanish music,
the pride and the tenderness mix and interleave. The music is
affirmative and bright. The sonata as a whole is not especially
memorable.
Escena andaluza is more interesting, and not only because
its form is less standard. It also has more memorable music
and distinctive effects. The solo viola is placed against the
background of a piano quintet - an inventive solution, which
results in a songlike, not concertante sound. The music
is at times tender, at times ecstatic, with a fascinating shifting
of episodes, the freshness of perfumed air, in places reminiscent
of the string quartets of Ravel and Debussy. The two parts have
descriptive names - Crépuscule du soir (“The
Evening Twilight”) and À la fenêtre
(“At the Window”).
Piano Trio No.1 starts with a slow prelude, cool and atmospheric.
This leads into a sunny, joyous fugue, whose theme sounds like
a faster version of Siegfried Idyll. The slow movement
is a set of variations and, Turina being Turina, the variations
take the form of Spanish dances, although the theme itself looks
quite neutral. The dances come from different regions of Spain:
we hear the muñeira, the schotis, the zortziko,
the jota and the soleares. The first subject of
the finale is jumpy and cheerful, in the French manner; the
second subject is pure honey. The themes from the first movement
reappear to close the structure. The music is densely built,
with many attractive details. This is probably the least Spanish-sounding
track on this disc. The ending is triumphant.
The last work is called La oración del torero
(“The Bullfighter’s Prayer”). Turina composed
it after he witnessed toreadors praying in a small chapel before
going out to the arena. The music gradually brings us from the
buzz of the world, the worries and the fear, to calmness and
religious certainty. The tension gives way to light. The prayer
is heartfelt. This tenderness is virile - after all, we are
talking toreros. In the end, the music dissolves into white
light. This attractive piece was written for a laúd quartet
- the laúd is a mandolin-like Spanish folkloric
instrument. We hear it in composer’s own arrangement for
string quartet.
The writing for all combinations of instruments is masterful,
producing beautiful textures. That said, overall, I was not
much encouraged by the music to return and listen again. It
is well crafted and can serve as a handbook on the diversity
of musical andalucismo - which had not in Turina’s
days become a cliché. I can’t help but think that
Granados or de Falla could have found something to make this
music not only Spanish, but distinctive, something that would
make one want to return to it more often.
None of this is the fault of the performances which are expressive
and spirited. The musicians are completely at ease with the
fast tempi and the intricate weave of rhythms. The piano blends
well with the strings. In some places I wished that the reading
had been more transparent: it is more energetic than atmospheric.
This could be the effect of the recording, which is warm yet
close, maybe too close, at the expense of the airiness. There
can be more magic and perfume found in this music. The liner-note
is well-written and provides an engaging historical and musical
analysis, in English, French and German.
Turina’s style is very uniform, and probably should be
consumed in smallish doses. It was especially good to hear the
attractive Escena andaluza and the poignant La oración
del torero.
Oleg Ledeniov
This is very French music built out of Spanish elements.