CityLife

BBC Philharmonic: Rodrigo, Falla, Ravel

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

October 3, 2011

IT was hotter in Manchester than Madrid on Saturday night (well, I thought so, anyway), which made it feel right for a celebration of Spanish music with the BBC Philharmonic’s new chief conductor, Juanjo Mena.

He’s a Spaniard himself and appreciates the fact that some of the best Spanish music was written by Frenchmen – in this case, by Ravel, whose mother was from the Basque country, as indeed is Mena.

So we began with Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole and ended with his Bolero. The Rapsodie is a subtle piece, full of atmospherics (until the end, when it gets going a bit), and was beautifully played.

Mena’s next choice was Rodrigo’s Concerto In Modo Galante, for cello and orchestra. Bilbao-born Asier Polo was the soloist and made the most of its sentiment and rhythmic vitality. As with the Concierto De Aranjuez for guitar, its slow movement is its glory.

But the best of the concert was in the second half. Two suites from Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat brought the romance and swagger of the ballet stage to life – and with Mena’s gyrations on the podium, who needed any further choreography?

His imaginative touch was at its best in The Neighbour’s Dance and the finale was explosive and exhilarating.

Bolero, though, was an experience in itself. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a conductor take such care over it, or an orchestra put so much individuality into it. Ravel allegedly said it had no real music. Maybe he was wrong.

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