(Section D)
Led by Marie Wilson
Conducted by Frank Bridge
Kendall Taylor (pianoforte)
Ravel's Spanish Rhapsody consists of four short movements scored for a full modern orchestra, including two harps, celesta, and sarrusophone, all of which are used with restraint and a remarkable feeling for contrast and variety of tone colour. The first movement, ' Prelude to the Night', is full of the languor and poetry of a Spanish night. The second movement is in the form of a Malaguena, a graceful dance characterised by subtle rhythms, curious changes of mood, and expressive play of fan and castanet.
The third movement is a Habanera, a Spanish dance that is said to have come from Africa by way of Cuba. The music is marked ' rather slow and with a weary rhythm '. The fourth movement, 'The Fair ', is the most elaborate of the four and the music is a beautiful and vivid tone painting of the glittering brilliance and boisterous spirits of a Spanish fair. Sensuous colour and atmosphere are the chief characteristics of the Spanish Rhapsody. To this end Ravel has used the technique of impressionism with consummate skill and sensitive artistry.