Stravinsky
's
Pulcinella
, first performed in 1920, was something of a founding document for the neoclassic movement, which ruled the roost for two decades and has had repercussions lasting down to the present day. There are lots of recordings of the
sprightly suite
extracted from the ballet, but the other two works on the album, by
Manuel de Falla
, are less familiar and offer wonderful insights into how neoclassicism developed.
Falla
's little puppet opera
El Retablo de Maese Pedro
("
Mr. Peter's Puppet Show
"), based on an episode in
Cervantes
' Don Quixote, doesn't really work as an opera, with most of its vocal writing for a boy soprano, and that boy soprano faces real challenges (cleanly surmounted here by
Héctor López de Ayala Uribe
). However, it is a delightful, colorful work with tremendous energy.
Harpsichord Concerto
, composed for
Wanda Landowska
, is played from time to time, but the early music movement hasn't particularly boosted its fortunes. Both works are given crackling performances here by the
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
and conductor
Pablo Heras-Casado
; the harpsichordist in the two works is
Benjamin Alard
. They make a fascinating contrast with the
. Both composers drew on the past;
did not abandon the Spanish sources of his music but incorporated them into Classical structures, while
is a kind of pastiche on themes by a composer then thought to be
Pergolesi
. Yet the flavors are completely different. Any listener, including those who are just getting into the neoclassic era, will enjoy this album, which was superbly recorded by
Harmonia Mundi
at the Auditorium of Girona in Catalonia. ~ James Manheim