“I am an enormous fan of Roberto Sierra’s music.” Maestra JoAnn Falletta shares her enthusiasm as her August 6 concert approaches at the 2022 Tanglewood Music Festival, where she will conduct the Boston Symphony in the first Tanglewood performance of Sierra’s celebrated work Fandangos. The 12-minute orchestral piece was originally commissioned by the National Symphony, who premiered it in February 2001 led by Leonard Slatkin.
JoAnn Falletta continues. “Roberto’s music, is always vivid, evocative and filled with imagination. I have had a great deal of fun with his extraordinary Fandangos. A whimsical and breathtaking blend of the 18th and 21st centuries, the work is an irresistible flamenco dance that builds anticipation from the first trumpet fanfare to the very last chord. Fandangos has fascinated every orchestra and audience where I have conducted it; and I cannot wait to introduce the Tanglewood concert goers to this amazing symphonic showpiece.”
Sierra offers some insight into his work. “Antonio Soler’s ‘Fandango’ for keyboard has always fascinated me. Soler’s ‘Fandango’ [is fascinating] for its strange and whimsical twists and turns. My Fandangos is a fantasy, or a ‘super-fantasy,’ that takes as its point of departure Soler’s work and incorporates elements of Boccherini’s ‘Fandango’ [along with] my own Baroque musings.” He continues, “JoAnn Falletta is a magnificent conductor and a staunch supporter of American music. She has always performed my works with great artistry, impeccable technique and an absolute understanding of my musical language. Fandangos with JoAnn and the BSO at Tanglewood will be extraordinary.”
More Sierra news: next month, Falletta brings Fandangos to her own orchestra when she conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic on September 17 at Kleinhans Music Hall.