Banco de Sonido/Concerto XXI Producciones
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Zarzuela
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Francisco Matilla’s programme note hits the spot. His good-humoured picture of the buttoned-up middle-aged gentleman in a fin-de-siecle Spanish café, paying mild attention to the aural wallpaper whilst savouring his coffee and evening paper, pinpoints both the fragrance and aesthetic limitation of these selections. Ensamble de Madrid’s disc is a pretty box of patisserie, best taken one cake at a time to savour the authentic elegance of the playing – notably Roberto Mendoza’s svelte 1st Violin – and the ingenuity of the arrangements. Too much of this good thing might produce indigestion. The potpourri from Jugar con fuego is zesty as a good tarte citron; the medley from La revoltosa as firmly piquant as a tartelet au framboise. The cream puffs distilled from Cádiz and La gatita blanca are a mite stodgy by comparison, whilst the downsized Preludio from La torre del oro marginally fails to squeeze Giménez’s stirring quart of strong coffee into a pint pot. Impresiones de España No.2 by Joaquín Malats (1872-1912) offers a robustly flavoured bon bouche, volubly appreciated by the live audience. And quite right too. [CW]
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Zarzuela
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The commemoration of the death of Chueca has caused few ripples in the recording pond. This current disc was released mid-year, fruit of a private initiative by Ensamble de Madrid, one of the groups most committed to Spanish lyric music, as much in their solo work as in accompanying Ópera Cómica de Madrid. It is to be welcomed like sunshine in April. Although appearing as Volume 3 in the series of arrangements for piano sextet that began to emerge last year, made up of live takes from the series of concerts held in the Auditorium Conde Duque de Madrid, it is in fact a compilation of Chueca recordings from the previous two volumes: De Madrid a París and La Gran Vía from the first, and Cádiz (in two parts separated by applause erupting after the famous March) from the second – all these written in collaboration with Joaquín Valverde senior.) To complement this material we’re given three new selections recorded on April 18th this year: El año pasado por agua, also involving the hand of Valverde, together with Las zapatillas and Los descamisados. These two are new to the catalogue, as likewise De Madrid a París, which gives the disc an extra value above the inherent quality of the musical works and the excellence of the chamber group’s interpretations. I’d only have one criticism: to have added their performance of the selection from El arca de Noé (soon to be heard in Conde Duque and, we assume, to appear in a further release) would have rounded up this more delightful disc with another first. [IJH]
© Christopher Webber and Ignacio Jassa Haro 2008
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4 December 2008