The Fort Worth Symphony begins the new Symphonic Season with a Spanish flavor as guest soloist Augustin Hadelich performs Édouard Lalo’s work Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 this weekend. Lalo, a French composer, was one of many composers during the Romantic period who wrote music with themes from other countries to invoke a sense of exoticism. And Lalo wasn’t the only French composer either, as he joined the likes of Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel, and many others. But what sets Symphonie espagnole apart is the development of the work as a violin feature. Lalo created the piece with and for his friend, the legendary Spanish vilolin virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate. Sarasate gave the premiere of Symphonie espagnole on February 7, 1875 in Paris, and ended up establishing Lalo’s international reputation. While the work centers around the violin soloist, it isn’t quite a concerto, but it’s not quite a symphony either. In fact, the title Symphonie espagnole pushed the boundaries, and led many to question Lalo’s title, to which he responded:
Artistically, a title means nothing and the work itself is everything…but commercially a tainted, discredited title is never a good thing. I kept the title Symphonie espagnole contrary to and despite everybody, first because it conveyed my thought—that of say, a violin solo soaring above the rigid form of an old symphony—and then because the title was less banal than those that were proposed to me. The cries and criticisms have died or will die down; the title will remain, and in his letter of congratulation Bülow wrote me that this happy title placed the piece beyond all the others.
And “soar” it does. Like many other works written for or by virtuosos, it pushes the performer’s abilities and results in wildly exciting moments for audiences. Symphonie espagnoleis a perfect guest artist work for the FWSO to kick off it’s Symphonic Season. Especially considering Fort Worth is a place where audiences are no strangers to Spanish rhythms, melodies, and dances. From the habanera themes and rhythms, to the slow malagueña dances, to the soaring sections designed to show off the virtuosity of the performer, the work should kick off a wonderful Symphonic Season for Fort Worth audiences.
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