Search - Manuel de Falla, Josep Pons, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada :: Falla: El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat") / Noches en los Jardines de España ("Nights in the Gardens of Spain")

The Spanish style of playing this music differs appreciably from the Ravelian opulence we've become accustomed to hearing from our big orchestras. It emphasizes line and edge, the scintillating spikiness of Falla's orchestration, the vigor of his rhythms. While the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada is a smallish group (with a string complement of 11-7-7-6-5), it is precisely the size one would have found playing in the pit for a performance of the ballet. Conductor Josep Pons clearly rehearsed the ensemble within an inch of their lives for this recording, and they play well. Harmonia Mundi captures the proceedings with sound of striking immediacy. --Ted Libbey