Jesús López-Cobos - Music of Turina & Debussy (2001)

This is the valedictory disc of a long recording and performing association between Spanish conductor Jesús López-Cobos and the Cincinnati Symphony, and it impresses the listener even before its unwrapping with the insight shown in the selection of works presented. For even in the works of Spaniard Joaquín Turina, we are hearing portraits of Spain seen through French eyes. The disc opens with Debussy's Iberia, a work that elicited praise from Manuel de Falla for its authentically Spanish mood even though Debussy had barely set foot in Spain. That work would have been exceedingly familiar to Turina, who thus felt the anxiety of foreign influence as he composed the Spanish-themed Danzas fantásticas, Sinfonia sevillana, and Procesión del Rocio heard here. In the music of Turina, who was more conservative by temperament than Falla or Albéniz, we hear influences of his teacher d'Indy and even of Franck's motto structure in addition to Debussy's impressionist shadings. López-Cobos emphasizes the Debussy-like subtlety of Turina's scores, toning down even the fiery flamenco "Orgía" movement of the Dánzas fantásticas. The result is something of a Stanley Kubrick-level orgy, but on the whole, Turina's somewhat underrated scores come off rendered in delightful detail. The English horn-dominated second movement of the Sinfonia sevillana, entitled "Por el río Guadalquivir" (On the Banks of the River Guadalquivir), is a gorgeous piece of water music -- a conclusion also apparently reached by U.S. Grammy award nominators, who honored the disc with a Best Orchestral Performance nod. For the casual listener, here's the scoop: if this isn't a disc that captures Spain's flamboyant gypsy soul, it's one that explores something equally important: the lasting influence of the Impressionist idea.

Review by James Manheim