San Francisco Symphony presents the Rhythms and Romance of Spain, featuring Charles Dutoit, guest conductor, and piano soloist, Javier Perianes
2015-06-04
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA
8:00 PM, Thursday, June 4, 2015

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[7:59 PM tuning, lights down, announcements]

1. [8:02 PM] Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Alborado del gracioso (Morning Song of the Jester), (1918)
   [work ends 8:09 PM; pause to rearrange some of the chairs; 8:12 PM tuning]

Manuel de Falla y Matheu (1876-1946): Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), (1916), featuring Javier Perianes

1. [8:14 PM] №1: En el Generalife (In the Generalife)
2. [8:24 PM] №2: Danza lejana (A Distant Dance) »
3. [8:35 PM] №3: En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba (In the Gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba)
   [set ends 8:38 PM]

[9:00 PM lights down, announcements]

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): L’Heure espagnole (the Spanish Hour), G.49 (1909) (ca. 52 min)

1. [9:01 PM] (Introduction)
2. [9:04 PM] Scène 01: “Señor Torquemada…”
3. [9:06 PM] Scène 02: “Totor!”
4. [9:08 PM] Scène 03: “II reste, voilà bien ma change!”
5. [9:10 PM] Scène 04: “II état temps, voici Gonzalve!”
6. [9:13 PM] Scène 05: “C'est fait, l'horloge est à sa place”
7. [9:15 PM] Scène 06: “Maintenant pas de temps à perdre!”
8. [9:16 PM] Scène 07: “Salut à belle horlogère!”
9. [9:19 PM] Scène 08: “Voilà!..Et maintenant à l'autre!”
10. [9:20 PM] Scène 09: “Évidemment, elle me congédie”
11. [9:22 PM] Scène 10: “Voilà ce que j'aooelle une femme charmante”
12. [9:24 PM] Scène 11: “Monsieur, ah! Monsieur!”
13. [9:25 PM] Scène 12: “Enfin, il part!”
14. [9:28 PM] Scène 13: “Voilà l'objet!”
15. [9:30 PM] Scène 14: “Ah! vous, n'est-ce pas, preste!”
16. [9:32 PM] Scène 15: “En dépit de cette inhumaine”
17. [9:34 PM] Scène 16: “Voilà ce que j'appelle une femme charmante!”
18. [9:37 PM] Scène 17: “Oh! la pitoyable aventure!”
19. [9:39 PM] Scène 18: “Voilà!… Et maintenant, Señora”
20. [9:43 PM] Scène 19: “Mon cell anxieux interroge”
21. [9:45 PM] Scène 20: “ll n'est, pour l'horloger”
22. [9:46 PM] Scène 21: “Pardieu, déménageur, vouz venez à propos”
23. [9:50 PM] Quintette Final
    [show ends 9:50 PM]

• Charles Dutoit: conductor;
• Javier Perianes: piano;
• symphony members vary by program, see the current list.

• Jean-Luc Ballestra as Ramiro, a muleteer: baritone vox;
• Jean-Paul Fouchécourt as Torquemada, a clockmaker: tenor vox;
• John Mark Ainsley (not Benjamin Hulett as originally cast) as Gonzalve, a student poet: tenor vox;
• Isabel Leonard as Concepción, Torquemada's wife: mezzo-soprano vox;
• David Wilson-Johnson as Don Iñigo Gomez, a banker: baritone vox.

Tonight's show was quite fun. The first half set the mood with Spanish flavors appropriate to the second set main course, Ravel's outrageously funny Spanish Hour, presented without staging, but with engaging theatrics imparted by skill in voice and expressive looks on the part of the soloists. Another great night at the symphony, yay!

Stephen Smoliar posted a uniformly positive review of tonight's performance for the Examiner. My only quibble with that piece is that the photo included of Isabel Leonard is not nearly as becoming as her actual appearance last night.

Isabel Leonard with muppets

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!