Spanish Farce

This BBC music mag cover disk is of recordings made live at the BBC Proms in 2002 when one of the themes of the season was Spain. Both works are by Ravel, who despite being French was a Basque with connections on both sides of the Pyrenees. The first piece is the four section orchestral showcase Rapsodie Espagnole, played by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. Wonderful colours as usual with Ravel and the piece moves from mystery through to exuberance. The second work is the one act opera L'Heure Espagnole, set in a clock makers shop and a comic tale of a cuckolded husband, thwarted lover, successful lover, people hiding in grandfather clocks etc. I remember seeing this semi staged version in the tv broadcast and it was great fun with finely performances, especially from mezzo Sarah Connelly as the object of several desires and with her own libido to satisfy. Audience laughter attests to the enjoyment being had but by the very nature of the piece, it isn't as successful as a purely auditory experience on this disk. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the BBC Philharmonic and the male leads parts are sung by tenors Charles Castronovo and Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, baritone Brett Polegato and bass Peter Rose.