Violinist Kristin Lee shares her designs in curating a program of Spanish composers for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The concert will be presented in Alice Tully Hall on Saturday, February 1, 2025, and on tour around the United States through mid-February.
In 1907, the composer Joaqu铆n Turina moved from Spain to Paris to continue his musical studies. There, he met up with Manuel de Falla, another Spanish expat, and one of their mentors, Isaac Alb茅niz. Together, they planned for the future of the art music of their nation. As Turina would later recall, 鈥渨e were three Spaniards gathered together in that corner of Paris, and it was our duty to fight bravely for the national music of our country."
The sense of national pride expressed by Turina here is one of the things that drew violinist Kristin Lee to the music of Spain. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 unique about these Spanish composers is that every single one of them made a point of putting their traditional sounds into their compositions,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hat was so important to them."
The program she designed, which the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will play in Alice Tully Hall and on tour this winter, mixes songs and instrumental chamber music by seven different Spanish composers. Some are quite famous, like Falla and the pioneering violinist Pablo de Sarasate. Others heard on the program, like Enrique Fern谩ndez Arb贸s and Fernando Obradors, are performed much less often. Lee felt it was important to include lesser-known Spanish composers in conversation with more familiar repertoire: 鈥淲e know Sarasate鈥檚 violin music, we might know Falla鈥檚 songs. Those are two staple names that brought Spanish music out to the world, so it is a celebration of that, but what is interesting about Spanish music is that there鈥檚 so much that is unknown.鈥�
Most Spanish composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries spent a lot of time abroad to complete their education. A notable exception was Fernando Obradors, who was mostly self-taught and spent the bulk of his career in Spain and on the Canary Islands. His first book of Classical Spanish Songs, published in 1921, draws on Spanish-language texts from over four centuries and displays a distinctive approach to harmony and melody. 鈥淭he Obradors is very modal, with open intervals. It sounds ominous鈥攁s opposed to fiery and dance-like, which is what the public might expect from Spanish music,鈥� Lee explained. The program features a new transcription for voice and guitar of this collection. 鈥淚 fell in love with these songs, and I encountered a version that was with singer and guitar. To me, it was much more convincing than with the piano, but it was impossible to get ahold of the music so we had to do a completely new arrangement of it. It鈥檚 going to be the first time that most people are hearing it live for these instruments.鈥�
In addition to vocal numbers by Falla, Obradors, and Joaqu铆n Rodrigo, the program includes several instrumental works by other composers. These include Mallorca, a short, rolling gondolier鈥檚 song for solo guitar by Alb茅niz, as well as the lush Andalusian Romance for Violin and Piano by Sarasate. These lyrical miniatures complement the two large-scale works on the program: piano trios by Turina and Enrique Fern谩ndez Arb贸s. Arb贸s鈥檚 music, like that of Obradors, is quite rarely performed today. He was a violinist, born in Madrid but trained in Brussels and Berlin. He wrote his Three Original Pieces in Spanish Style in 1886 to play with the Iberian Trio, a group he regularly toured with in Europe that included Alb茅niz at the keyboard. 鈥淭he Arb贸s was a new discovery,鈥� Lee exclaimed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great piece nobody knows that everybody should know.鈥�
Each movement of Arb贸s鈥檚 trio is based on a traditional dance: a bolero, a habanera, and a seguidilla. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in more of a typical Spanish style: the rhythm is very angular and sharp,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲hat Arb贸s does that鈥檚 really brilliant is to emphasize the different emotions that come from similar types of rhythm. The bolero has a march-like figure, and he brings so much joy to it. The habanera is an interesting dance because it could go in many directions: it could be very energetic, but it could also have a sadder quality to it. He captures that darker essence. Then in the last movement, it鈥檚 like he is saying 鈥榮how off all you can, bring it on with the virtuosity.鈥�
The concert closes with Turina鈥檚 B-minor Piano Trio, which he wrote in the 1930s. His use of Spanish rhythms and harmonies is subtler than what we find in the trio by Arb贸s, a contrast that Lee hopes will prove meaningful to audiences: 鈥淭he Turina feels more chant-like in a lot of sections. He鈥檚 the only one who is really pushing how he uses the Spanish harmonies and rhythms to the extent that you wonder if it鈥檚 really Spanish. There are many composers who retained their traditional sound but created something quite complex with it. Shining light on them as well was a goal when I was constructing the program.鈥�
The program has been picked up by many venues across the country. I asked Lee what it might be about this concert that is so appealing. She replied, 鈥淚 always wonder what people who are not necessarily classical music fans might like and what can help bring people who aren鈥檛 familiar with this music to concert halls. When you think of Spanish music, it instantly suggests something that鈥檚 celebratory, an exciting evening of festive music. But then the program is also meant to break with that a little bit. These are names that you鈥檝e possibly never heard of, and they鈥檙e very serious composers.鈥�
