1/2 Profile: Fernando Sor In the 19th century, the guitar had a bit of a bad reputation; an instrument heard at village fairs, easy to strum, meant for nothing more than to accompany popular songs; its future as a solo instrument to be applauded in concert halls not then entertained. On this edition of The Spanish Hour, we’ll hear works by Fernando Sor, the composer who changed all that by creating a virtuosic repertory for the guitar, earning him the sobriquet “The Beethoven of the Guitar.”
1/9 Spain’s Modern Masters Chamber works by Spanish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, from Joaquín Turina, José Evangelista, and José-Luis Greco.
1/16 Ocultos a plena vista: Julián Orbón and Joan Manén This edition of The Spanish Hour features works by two composers “ocultos a plena vista;” that is, hidden in plain sight: Concerto grosso, written in 1958 by Spanish-born Cuban composer Julián Orbón, and Concierto Espagnol for violin and orchestra, dedicated to Fritz Kreisler, written in 1923 by Barcelona native Joan Manén.
1/23 La Zarzuela barroca Not to be confused with the popular operettas and lyric operas popular in Spain from the 1850s through the mid-20th century, the zarzuelas on this program, dating from the 18th century, combine Spanish folklore with Greek mythology. Featured are works by José de Nebra, the father of Spanish opera; Mallorca's Antonio de Literes; Tomás Milans, master of the sacred zarzuela; and Vicente Martín y Soler, "the Valencian Mozart."
1/30 Spanish violin romances An array of some of the great Spanish works written for violin in the second half of the nineteenth century; veritable show-stoppers from the late 19th-century, a golden age for the Spanish virtuoso performer-composer. Featured are Sarasate's Zapateado and Carmen Fantasy; Monasterio's Grand Fantasy for violin and piano, based on well-known Spanish folk tunes; and three concert pieces for violin and orchestra by Enrique Fernández Arbós. With Gil Shaham, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Manuel Guillén, Ara Malikian, and Jesús Lopez Cobos.
