Let's Play: Spanish Music!

Marc M stunning! Bravo! Such a beautiful piece, and such sensitive and colorful playing. I don't believe there has been an "initial watch party" for the Spanish challenge yet, has there? Thanks for sharing. 

Alexander Weymann Thank you! Turina is interesting...distinctly Spanish with a lot of Debussy-like gestures in many of his pieces. His piano writing can be pretty awkward to play, though.

The watch party was postponed for some day next week. I don't think Dominic has set the specific date yet.

EDIT: Thanks to Natalie for pointing out new date is May 22 at 2 PM EDT.

Marc M the date has been fixed in the "Live calendar". Here's the link for the watch party, I hope the link works:

https://piano-community.tonebase.co/t/60h46s6/watch-party-exploring-spanish-music

Thanks for sharing your video Marc, I have never heard anything from Turina. This piece is beautiful, and lovely playing, Marc!

Natalie Peh Cool, thanks Natalie!

Marc M very nice piece, flows really well and lots of Spanish flavour too

Marc M Sounds beautiful, Marc! I like your freedom with the tempo.

Juan Carlos Olite Derek McConville Sindre Skarelven Thank you!

Natalie Peh Beautiful playing Natalie! Very interesting pieces. You picked very nicely contrasting ones.  So glad you were able to record in time for the challenge

Vidhya Bashyam thanks, Vidhya! I started by playing the Preludio and then it was calling out for something else to follow, so I chose the piece in the series that I could next most likely learn in time. Nothing to do with selecting it for cotrast, but happy it turned out that way

Natalie Peh Beautiful choice and playing for the Spanish challenge, Natalie! I love Granados piano music, both romantic and popular and always a pleasure to play.

Juan Carlos Olite thanks, Juan Carlos! Before these pieces, I've only ever played Granados' Valse Poetico no 6, but I've enjoyed learning these pieces so much, I'm sure to look up his other piano pieces now!

Natalie Peh love the mysterious, haunting atmosphere of these pieces - which you bring out very well.

Alexander Weymann thanks,  Alexander! Glad you liked it!

Sindre Skarelven thanks, Sindre! Absolutely, I agree. It has been such a joy listening to all the wonderful pieces in the challenge, and so many ideas for pieces to play in the future.

Natalie Peh  Brava Natalie, nice playing! Have not heard these before from Granados, and I especially like the March Oriental. He also has another Oriental, no 2 from 12 Spanish Dances. I’m imtrigued what/where ‘Oriental’ means to the Spaniards of that time…

Ching Lee Goh thanks, Ching Lee! I didn’t know about Oriental from the Spanish dances, and may try to learn that too. I was also wondering about the oriental inspiration for this piece and trying to find hints in the music, perhaps in the bass line and also the rhythm?
 

Just for the fun of it, I checked on what Google Bard had to say about this-

The oriental influence in Marcha Oriental by Granados is evident in the use of exotic instruments, such as the sitar and the tabla, as well as the use of pentatonic scales. The piece also has a strong rhythmic feel, which is characteristic of many oriental music traditions.

Granados was a well-traveled man, and he was exposed to a wide variety of musical influences throughout his life. He was particularly interested in oriental music, and he often incorporated elements of it into his own compositions. Marcha Oriental is one of the most well-known examples of Granados's orientalism.

The piece was written in 1901, and it was inspired by Granados's travels to the Middle East. The title, "Marcha Oriental," literally means "Eastern March." The piece is in a fast tempo, and it has a strong rhythmic feel. The melody is simple and catchy, and it is accompanied by a variety of exotic instruments, such as the sitar and the tabla.

Marcha Oriental is a beautiful and evocative piece of music. It is a testament to Granados's musical talent and his ability to capture the spirit of another culture. The piece is a must-listen for any fan of classical music.

Here are some additional details about the oriental influence in Marcha Oriental:

• The use of exotic instruments, such as the sitar and the tabla, is a clear indication of the oriental influence in the piece. These instruments are not typically used in Western music, and their inclusion in Marcha Oriental helps to create a sense of exoticism and otherworldliness.
• The use of pentatonic scales is another characteristic of oriental music that is evident in Marcha Oriental. Pentatonic scales are scales that consist of five notes, and they are often used in folk music from all over the world. The use of pentatonic scales in Marcha Oriental helps to give the piece a sense of mystery and intrigue.
• The strong rhythmic feel of Marcha Oriental is also characteristic of oriental music. Oriental music often has a strong beat, and this is reflected in the rhythmic pulse of Marcha Oriental. The strong rhythm helps to create a sense of energy and excitement in the piece.

Overall, Marcha Oriental is a beautiful and evocative piece of music that is influenced by oriental music. The piece is a must-listen for any fan of classical music.

Natalie Peh the sitar and tabla are obviously wrong! But the Middle Eastern or Arabic influence is probably correct - i think more pronounced in the other Oriental. I think of the piece as a slow and seductive belly dance :)  Spain was once occupied by the Moors so perhaps that's how middle eastern inspired music ended up being part of 'Spanish dance' and 'Spanish folk song' suites ( apart from it's influence on flamenco).  My 2 cents!

Ching Lee Goh you are right! Sitar and tabla are not middle eastern at all! Maybe oud is more likely, though I have no idea what an oud sounds like! :)

Natalie Peh Oud is like a lute, and I can relate to that in the Oriental No 2. So much to uncover in Spanish music!