Repertoire
Frederic Mompou: Variations on a Chopin theme (orchestration by Josep Soler) 22 ′
Robert Gerhard: Sis cançons populars catalanes (Six Catalan Popular Songs) (1928-31) 15′
Robert Gerhard: Pedrelliana (1941) 12′
Robert Gerhard: Cançoner de Pedrell (1941) 19 ′
Artists
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)
Núria Rial, soprano
Francesc Prat, conductor
Program
Chopin’s Prelude, Op. 28 No. 7, served as a starting point for Frederic Mompou in his Variations of a Theme of Chopin, a masterpiece from his works for piano, adapted for orchestra by Josep Soler.
The premiere of Gerhard’s Six Catalan Folksongs was conducted by the composer himself in 1931 at the Palau de la Música, with soprano Concepció Badía and the Pau Casals Orchestra. In this work, traditional music is yet another feature of a rich mosaic of sounds that tie it in with avant-garde convictions, albeit from a highly personal perspective.
DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM HERE
DOWNLOAD THE LYRICS HERE Felip Pedrell’s influence on Spain’s leading composers from the first half of the 20th century (Manuel de Falla and Robert Gerhard) is well known. During both the latter’s lives in exile, they wrote different tributes to their maestro. Pedrelliana is the last of Falla’s Homenajes (Tributes), as is Gerhard’s last movement of the symphony Homenatje a Pedrell (Tribute to Pedrell), composed in Cambridge to mark the centenary of Pedrell’s birth. It was not published in its full version until 1972, although currently only the 3rd movement, Pedrelliana, is in print.
Robert Gerhard studied under Felip Pedrell from 1916 to 1920. His musical training under Pedrell and later Arnold Schönberg left a strong imprint on his compositions. Cancionero de Pedrell features a series of Catalan folksongs, compiled by Pedrell and arranged by Gerhard from an advanced musical perspective, highly influenced by Bela Bartok.
