MANUEL DE FALLA – ATLÁNTIDA. NACIONAL DE MUSICA, MADRID 21.10.1988. MUSICAL INSIGHTS

MANUEL DE FALLA – ATLÁNTIDA. MUSICAL INSIGHTS A lost continent, the legend of Hercules and Christopher Columbus’s voyage come together in one of the most ambitious and mysterious works of 20th-century Spanish music. Born in Cádiz in 1876, Manuel de Falla studied piano at the Madrid Conservatory. During his years in Paris, he came into contact with composers including Claude Debussy and Paul Dukas. His music combines Spanish traditions with a modern, refined and concentrated musical language. THE WORK Atlántida is a scenic cantata in a prologue and three parts, based on Jacint Verdaguer’s Catalan poem L’Atlàntida. Falla worked on the score from 1927 but left it unfinished. His pupil, the composer Ernesto Halffter, was subsequently entrusted with revising and completing the work. The cantata connects the destruction of Atlantis with the adventures of Hercules and the origins of Spain. In its final section, Queen Isabella’s dream anticipates Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World. THE FIRST PERFORMANCE The first concert performance took place on 24 November 1961 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, conducted by Eduard Toldrà. Queen Isabella: Victoria de los Ángeles (soprano) The performance also involved the Barcelona Municipal Orchestra, Coral Sant Jordi, Cor Madrigal, Escolania del Sagrat Cor and Capella Clàssica Polifònica del FAD. The first staged performance was given on 18 June 1962 at La Scala in Milan, conducted by Thomas Schippers. Its principal performers included Teresa Stratas and Giulietta Simionato. CURIOSITIES The giant Geryon is represented by three singers performing together: two tenors and one baritone, reflecting the mythological creature’s three heads. The work requires exceptionally large forces, including numerous soloists, mixed chorus, a large orchestra, two harps, two pianos, celesta and an extensive percussion section. Halffter returned to the score several times. A new version, described as “definitive” in the work’s official catalogue, was presented on 9 September 1976 at the Lucerne Festival under Jesús López Cobos. Because Falla was unable to complete it, Atlántida remains a fascinating and problematic work: it is not always possible to determine how closely its final form reflects the composer’s intentions. We are listening to an excerpt from Prologue No. 1, entitled L’Atlàntida Submergida, from the “Cantata Escénica”, conducted by Jesús López-Cobos at the NACIONAL DE MUSICA, MADRID 21.10.1988. Manuel de Falla, Falla, Atlántida, L'Atlàntida, Ernesto Halffter, Jacint Verdaguer, Victoria de los Ángeles, Eduard Toldrà, Teresa Stratas, Giulietta Simionato, Thomas Schippers, Gran Teatre del Liceu, La Scala Milan, scenic cantata, Spanish music, classical music, Atlantis, Hercules, Christopher Columbus, twentieth-century music, Musical Insights