Manuel de Falla

Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946) was the pre-eminent 20th century Spanish composer. Falla's talents found their natural expression in the stage. His early works consisted of zarzeulas (a Spanish form of operetta) and the superb one-act opera, La vida breve (1905 - 1913). Falla was very interested in Spanish folk music and incorporated various elements into his own work. The composer spent a number of years in Paris where he became influenced by Debussy and Ravel, in particular their pellucid orchestrations, so much so that Falla became the leading exponenent of Impressionism in the Iberian peninsula albeit with the additional use of fiery folk rhythms which was inspired by Stravinsky. Like Stravinsky, Falla composed for the ballet: El amor brujo (1916) and El sombrero de tres picos (composed for the Ballets Russes, 1919) are masterpieces of the genre.

In the 1920s and 30s Falla returned to Spain, however his Republican sympathies forced him to leave the country following the victory of Franco's Nationalist coalition in the Spanish Civil War. For the rest of his life Falla resided in Argentina where he died. Manuel de Falla's artisitc legacy was vast, even if his output was slender, and he had an incalculable influence on the Spanish composers that followed him. If Picasso was the modernist Spanish artist personified, Falla was his equivalent in music.

Key Works: Harpsichord Concerto, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Atlàntida, La vida breve, El amor brujo (Love the Magician), El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat)

Key Artists: Victoria de los Angeles, Ernest Ansermet, Teresa Berganza, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Charles Dutoit, Jill Gomez, Alicia de Larrocha, Yan Pascal Tortelier