Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan leads the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with three electrifying performances this May in am exciting program highlighting Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos, in Dublin, Liverpool and London.
Roberto Sierra wrote Fandangos in 2000 on commission for the National Symphony Orchestra and its music director Leonard Slatkin, who gave the world premiere in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 2001. The piece is about 11 minutes long. Fandangos is a postmodern rumination on two particular fandangos: one for harpsichord attributed to Antonio Soler (1729-1783), a notable Spanish composer; the other by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), an Italian who worked most of his life in Spain and who was one of the most important non-Austrian Classical-era composers.
Sierra’s orchestral treatment of the dance, besides quoting and blending his two sources, takes cues from Ravel’s Boléro in its rhythmic and harmonic consistency and from Berio’s Coro and Sinfonia in its surrealism and rapid shifts of focus. Unlike Boléro, Fandangos (the plural suggests the work’s multifaceted origins) isn’t a constant crescendo from beginning to end but a series of episodes exploring different perspectives on orchestral possibility, like constantly changing variations. As in its models, occasionally the harmony moves into major-key territory. The piece moves from very light orchestration to very dense, occasionally collapsing in on itself in chaos before the fandango ostinato resurfaces. The orchestral detail is never less than extraordinary, even in less ostentatious moments, and trumpets and castanets keep the piece firmly rooted in Spain.
Dance dominates Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos in a set of vibrant orchestral variations with distinctive Spanish trumpets and castanets to the fore. The program will also feature Elgar ‘s Cello Concerto and Rachmaninov ‘s Symphonic Dances.
May 15, Dublin: For tickets and for more information, CLICK HERE!
May 17, Liverpool: For tickets and for more information, CLICK HERE!
May 19, London: For tickets and for more information, CLICK HERE!
