Ulster Orchestra’s Manuel de Falla recording receives praise from Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine

In January, our recording of Manuel de Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat, Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Seven Spanish Folk Songs was released on the SOMM label.  

Conducted by our Honorary Principal Guest Conductor Jac van Steen and featuring soloists Brazilian pianist Clélia Iruzun and Northern Irish mezzo-soprano Sarah Richmond, the release showcases three works by one of Spain’s most important musicians of the 20th Century that capture the essence of the country. 

The Three-Cornered Hat (El sombrero de tres picos) is a ballet which depicts everyday village life and echoes traditional Spanish folk tunes. It was performed by the Ballet Russes in London in 1919, with costume and stage designs by Pablo Picasso.  

Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Noches en los jardines de España) is an evocative portrayal of the sights and sounds of Andalusian locations under the cover of darkness, subtitled ‘symphonic impressions for piano and orchestra’.  

And Seven Spanish Folk Songs (Siete canciones populares españolas) are Falla’s renditions of folk songs from Murcia, Asturias, Aragon and Andalusia, covering a range of emotions from regret, grief, joy and maternal tenderness to incandescent fury, which have become one of the composer’s most popular works. 

You can stream or buy the album now: https://listn.fm/fallaorchestralworks/ 

‘The orchestra sounds stellar, presenting myriad colours, each instrument emerging balanced and characterful from the kaleidoscopic textures.’ – BBC Music Magazine. 

‘The woodwind birdsong is pointed and brilliant, the horn-playing has a cheerful machismo, and when van Steen unleashes the full orchestra … the tone is big and generous.’ – Gramophone magazine.

‘This is kind of sensory playing. You can smell the jasmine in the colours and the textures … It’s a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric disc.’ – BBC Radio 3 Record Review.