Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Gil Rose - Carlos Surinach: Acrobats of God (2023) [Official Digital Download]

Gil Rose has a special knack for finding music that has somehow slipped through the cracks. Here, he gives us three ballet scores composed for Martha Graham and her company by Carlos Surinach (1915 97). Born in Barcelona and trained in Germany (including seminars with Richard Strauss), Surinach settled in 1950 in the United States, where his flamenco-inflected style appealed to leading choreographers.

Embattled Garden (1957), a riff on the story of Adam and Eve, was his first collaboration with Graham. Surinach said that he wanted to bring some of flamenco’s ‘raw energy’ to his concert music, and this is apparent throughout his score. There’s an obsessive element, too – often conveyed by repeated ideas and phrases – that helps to create an atmosphere of erotic infatuation. There’s plenty of colour and energy, although for me the highlight is the quietly ecstatic ‘Tiento de Pena’ section.

The title Acrobats of God (1960) is a play on the medieval notion that monks were ‘athletes of God’ due to their dedication to precise rituals. Graham wrote: ‘I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practising living, the principles are the same.’ She described this ballet as ‘a light-hearted celebration of the art of dance and the discipline of the dancer’s world’. Musically, it’s delightful and definitely worthy of rediscovery. Despite the clear echoes of Falla, Stravinsky and Prokofiev (as well as a faint reminiscence of Carmen’s ‘Gypsy Song’ in the opening Fanfare), Surinach’s own voice shines through. There are some ingenious touches, too, such as the faint, hovering cloud created by the xylophone in the Interlude of scene 4.

The Owl and the Pussycat (1978), a setting of Edward Lear’s famous poem, projects a sense of childlike playfulness and wonder – or, rather, a sense of the childlike as seen through the melancholy eyes of an adult. The poem is narrated in segments that divide the score into scenes. Cuban-American soprano Alina de la Guardia, who narrates, has a slight Spanish accent that I find a charming match for the slight Spanish accent of Surinach’s score.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project play all three scores with panache, the recorded sound is well balanced and the booklet includes an illuminating note by Clifton Ingram as well as excerpts from a 1979 Surinach interview about the collaborations.

Tracklist:
01. Acrobats of God: Scene I, Fanfare
02. Acrobats of God: Scene II, Interlude
03. Acrobats of God: Scene III, Antique Dance
04. Acrobats of God: Scene IV, Interlude
05. Acrobats of God: Scene V, Bolero
06. Acrobats of God: Scene VI, Interlude
07. Acrobats of God: Scene VII, Minuet
08. Acrobats of God: Scene VIII, Interlude
09. Acrobats of God: Scene IX, Spanish Gallop
10. The Owl and the Pussycat: Introduction
11. The Owl and the Pussycat: "The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea"
12. The Owl and the Pussycat: "The Owl looked up to the stars above"
13. The Owl and the Pussycat: "Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl'"
14. The Owl and the Pussycat: "They sailed away, for a year and a day"
15. The Owl and the Pussycat: "Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?"
16. The Owl and the Pussycat: "And they were married next day"
17. The Owl and the Pussycat: "They dined on mince, and slices of quince"
18. Embattled Garden: Allegro ma non troppo
19. Embattled Garden: Tiento de Queja
20. Embattled Garden: Tiento de Pena
21. Embattled Garden: Tiento de Alegria


Thanks to the Original customer!