Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)
Many fine pianists have acquired lasting fame as composers, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninov among them. There is a corresponding Pantheon of violinists whose compositions have served to showcase their virtuosity. They include Niccolò Paganini, Henri Wieniawski, Fritz Kreisler and Pablo de Sarasate. Because the passage of time has judged that these violinists are not ‘A-list’ composers, we tend to marvel at their pyrotechnics rather than their musical depth. Even so, some of their music can be compelling.
Sarasate, a Spaniard, was only eight years younger than Georges Bizet, composer of the opera Carmen. It is not known whether they met, but it is clear that the exotic drama fascinated Sarasate. He created this Fantasy seven years after the first performance of Carmen. Rather than capitalise on the popularity of the opera, Sarasate helped to boost public familiarity with a work that had taken a battering from critics in the first instance and had yet to achieve universal acclaim. Sarasate was idolised by contemporary audiences for the beauty of his tone, flawless intonation and elegance of manner, all of which are reported to have prospered when he performed this piece.
The Carmen Fantasy is regarded as one of the most spectacular works for violin. Based on five numbers from the opera, it comes across as a concerto might: separate movements played without a break but with slender musical linkage. It provides two great joys in particular: the exhilaration of virtuosic violin playing and the originality of Bizet’s Carmen, with its underlying eroticism and tragedy, preserved and exploited in this remarkable adaptation.
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)
Many fine pianists have acquired lasting fame as composers, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninov among them. There is a corresponding Pantheon of violinists whose compositions have served to showcase their virtuosity. They include Niccolò Paganini, Henri Wieniawski, Fritz Kreisler and Pablo de Sarasate. Because the passage of time has judged that these violinists are not ‘A-list’ composers, we tend to marvel at their pyrotechnics rather than their musical depth. Even so, some of their music can be compelling.
Sarasate, a Spaniard, was only eight years younger than Georges Bizet, composer of the opera Carmen. It is not known whether they met, but it is clear that the exotic drama fascinated Sarasate. He created this Fantasy seven years after the first performance of Carmen. Rather than capitalise on the popularity of the opera, Sarasate helped to boost public familiarity with a work that had taken a battering from critics in the first instance and had yet to achieve universal acclaim. Sarasate was idolised by contemporary audiences for the beauty of his tone, flawless intonation and elegance of manner, all of which are reported to have prospered when he performed this piece.
The Carmen Fantasy is regarded as one of the most spectacular works for violin. Based on five numbers from the opera, it comes across as a concerto might: separate movements played without a break but with slender musical linkage. It provides two great joys in particular: the exhilaration of virtuosic violin playing and the originality of Bizet’s Carmen, with its underlying eroticism and tragedy, preserved and exploited in this remarkable adaptation.