Manuel De Falla; El Amor Brujo (Love the Magician)/ El Retablo de Maese Pedro (Master Peter’s Puppet Show)
Nancy Fabiola Herrera (mezzo-soprano); Jordi Galofré (tenor); Natacha Valladares (soprano); Ismael Pons-Tena (baritone)
I Cameristi, Diego Dini-Ciaci (El Amor Brujo) and Maurizio Dini-Ciacci, conductors
[Naxos 8.553499]

“ El Amor Brujo, a Gypsy Ballet in One Act and Two Scenes ” is one of several works inspired by De Falla’s study of the traditional cante jondo of Andalucia . The work is perhaps best known for the “Ritual Fire Dance” which has gone through several musical incarnations. Naxos has recorded the original 1915 version which uses a chamber orchestra and includes spoken dialogue later jettisoned for a subsequent version for which De Falla augmented the scoring for full orchestra. The great Flamenca dancer Pastora Imperio (who starred in the premiere) inspired De Falla in this tempestuous setting of Gregorio Martinez Sierra’s scenario. Sierra recounts the story of Candelas, a young and beautiful gypsy, who resorts to witchcraft to revenge herself on the spirit of her recalcitrant lover.

A blistering intensity pervades this highly enjoyable performance of “El Amor Brujo.” Nancy Fabiola Herrera is a bewitching Candelas. Her burnished mezzo is permeated with a ripe exoticism, sweet and tangy like a bittersweet Andalusian orange. Natacha Valedares displays a riveting dramatic talent as the Old Gypsy Woman, a speaking part. Ismael Pons-Tena has a fine, vibrant baritone and he does a worthy job in his small appearance as the bewitched lover. Diego Dini-Ciaci extracts the maximum of bold Spanish color from the score, capably maintaining the rhythmic vitality throughout this ballet cum melodrama .

I’m afraid I find “ Retablo ” a rather dry and abstract piece. In my opinion it’s one of De Falla’s musically weaker efforts. This opus, which is based on an episode in Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”, interestingly examines the juxtaposition between reality and fantasy. But for me it suffers without the visual element which I imagine could be quite colorful with its use of life-sized puppets. Even so, “ Retablo ” is given the maximum of musical and dramatic attention with Ismael Pons-Tena as a commendable Don Quixote, the sweet tenor of Jordi Galofré as Master Pedro, and Valedares as the Storyteller. The role of the Storyteller was originally scored for boy treble and Valedares expertly mimics a boy’s vocal timbre. Maurizio Dini-Ciacci does a worthy job with considering the meager musical fare with which he’s been provided. I Camaristi is an excellent chamber orchestra that plays zestfully and imaginatively in both works; adding considerably to the vibrant atmosphere of “ Brujo .”

The sound has been crisply engineered for full dramatic impact and sonic bite, capturing the intriguing contrast between De Falla’s peppery fortes and diaphanous piano passages. Notes on the two pieces, singer and conductor bios, and a complete Spanish/English libretto are included in the booklet.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for “Retablo” as a piece of musical theater, I still highly recommend this release for the superb, invigorating performance of “El Amor Brujo.”

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