CARLES SURIÑACH

FLAMENCO SYMPHONY

Band Suite (1971)

Master Suriñach’s predilection for flamenco leads him to write one Flamenco symphony for symphony orchestra which premiered in Louisville on January 9, 1954 with great critical success. The same year the work was presented during the Lent concerts at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, directed by the composer himself. On July 24, 1956, he performed at the prestigious Proms Festival performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Sargent at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This four-movement suite develops a very modern vision of the flamenco tradition both in terms of timbre and theme (with reminiscences of Jews, Arabs and gypsies) and harmonica. A smaller version (with only three movements of the originals, eliminating the third movement of the orchestral version) is released instrumented for band by the composer in 1971. Suriñach himself writes in the libretto of the LP where the work was recorded: “The south of Spain has always been the source of the greatest wealth of native music. This wealth is mostly concentrated in the flamenco style with its formidable intensity and deep meditation. But Spanish composers have not penetrated much into it, for its refinement they have not made concessions to the extravagance of the Spanish flamenco style when it interfered with academic rules. This Flamenco Sinfonietta has a maximum of flamenco style and a minimum of conventionalism ”.

These two works bear witness to Suriñach’s interest in flamenco, which is present in the vast majority of his production, such as his Symphony no. 2, and works such as Magic Fair (1956), Symphonic Variations (1962), el Concerto for piano and orchestra(1973) o Symphonic Melismas (1993). To understand this interest and its aesthetic position are interesting words of the composer in the text of the LP: “… .Is well known, I think, at the moment, my devotion to the so-called Spanish flamenco music and my search to transplant it to the stage of the concert. However, this language, over the years, is becoming, I think, a matter very much associated with my own physiognomy. On the other hand, the dance world is using my music more and more every day; a careful analysis has shown me that non-Spanish dancers have dedicated themselves to this music because of its drama: the drama is mostly the result of the flamenco style. Their ballets are not entirely Spanish, but they use my music for their theatrical strength… ”.

In the notes in the program of his work Symphonic Melismas tells us: “I wanted to bring flamenco to the level of a concert, to sift its natural energy through the best ways of classical music. However, I rarely use popular songs or current flamenco rhythms. It may inspire me, but the form comes from my imagination. Once I’ve heard a song, I digest it and grind it. So when it comes back to my memory it has become something else. I hope the background is still preserved, but with very few exceptions, my music is completely original. I don’t really like musicology. Musicologists look for authenticity, but if you do what they say the music can become extremely boring, so I write what I have in mind and try to make a work of entertainment. It can provoke an illusion of authenticity but nothing more. For example my work Rhythm Jondo It is obviously inspired by flamenco dances and this sounds very Spanish, but it has no trace of current gypsy music. I don’t like this, it’s not supposed to be the real object, it’s more like thinking about gypsy music. It’s interesting. ” (See a historiadelasinfonia.es)