In Beate Vollack’s “Carmen” ballet, of course, there is a lot of music by Georges Bizet. There are also works by Emmanuel Chabrier and Manuel de Falla. The latter is represented by the “Siete canciones populares españolas” (“Seven Spanish Folk Songs”), which are interpreted by Anna Brull (or Andżelika Wiśniewska). Anna Brull discussed the meaning of these songs with dramaturg Bernd Krispin:
What makes his music so unmistakable that Manuel de Falla is still one of the most important Spanish composers today?
Anna Brull I think it is the connection between the folk music tradition of southern Spain and the most refined European musical language of his time that makes him so distinctive.
In order to find his own means of expression, Manuel de Falla had to leave Spain, because he is only closed in Paris found himself. Around not to allow oneself to be instrumentalized in politically tense times he emigrate to Argentina. Has this willingness to leave leave its mark on his music?
Anna Brull That cannot be said in such a simplified way. The fact that he left Spain has not affected his musical language. Rather, he wanted to familiarize himself with the latest trends in music in Paris, wanted to experience them up close, since this avant-garde could not yet be heard in Spain at the time. And why he really left Spain to emigrate to Argentina is not entirely clear. So I think that the fact that he left his homeland didn’t really affect him because he found his clearly recognizable style already in his first phase in Madrid.
In den „Seven songs popular Spanish“, in den “Seven Spanish folk songs”, de Falla takes us on a journey through Spain and through the emotions. What feelings do these vocal miniatures portray? And to which regions of Spain is the musical journey going?
Anna Brull This journey through Spain has its beginning, but also its end point in Andalusia. In between, it goes to Murcia, Asturias and Aragón. Each song has its emotion, its own feeling, shaped by the folklore typical of each region. In the fourth song, for example, one hears the typical rhythm of the “jota aragonesa”, a folk dance that is sometimes accompanied by singing. In this folk dance, the accompaniment is sparse, allowing the singer to express himself freely and search for his own words. The improvisational nature of the dance has left its audible mark on de Falla. As a child, I experienced the “jota aragones” myself at folk festivals, and this song is also my favorite song in this cycle because its mood is so positive. The last number again is characterized by the “cante jondo”. The melismas that de Falla writes for the voice are influenced by the characteristic singing style that characterizes the “cante jondo”.
