20th January 1942

At breakfast this morning heard on the radio the “Spanish Rhapsody” for the second morning in succession. A lovely thing, especially the trumpets. I could listen to it for hours.

Can anyone tell me the composer of this piece of music? Many thanks, CP
Update: My sincere thanks to Mike, Robin and Barbara who have kindly confirmed that EJR would have been listening to Ravel's 'Rhapsodie Espagnole, Part IV, Feria' (see comments below). If you would like to listen to this piece there are a number of versions available on YouTube. CP

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Catherine

There are two well known classical ones by Liszt and Ravel, the most likely is the Ravel as the Liszt is for piano.

Regards

Mike Dennis

Robin King said...

On the Spanish Rhapsody: bit of a mystery. Looked it up in Naxos library, found only Spanish Rhapsody Op. 70 by Isaac Albeniz. Listened through it (all 17 min). It's been orchestrated by G. Enescu for piano and orchestra. No parts especially for trumpets. In view of its length, unlikely perhaps to be played two days in a row. CBC label SMCD5195 Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Perhaps he heard an arrangement for brass band?

Robin King said...

Spanish Rhapsody: a better match might be Ravel's Rhapsodie espagnole, esp. the 4th part Feria. The trumpets have a field day at the end of this part to close the work. Lots of different recordings, and Feria is only about 6 min long, so more probable to have been played on successive days.

E J Rudsdale said...

Dear Mike and Robin,
Thank you so much for this information. I wondered if it was the Ravel because the Liszt was for the piano but I felt that those of you following the blog would be better placed to advise me, so thank you - I shall listen to this piece now and see if I agree with EJR's opinion! Best wishes, CP

Barbara Critchley said...

I think it is most likely to be "Rapsodie Espanol" Maurice Ravel, which was popular at the time. And I would agree about the fourth movement with the trumpets! It's worth listening to and them make up your mind.

E J Rudsdale said...

Many thanks for your comment, Barbara - much appreciated. I have now had the chance to listen to this piece and as a flamenco enthusiast I very much enjoyed the Spanish rhythms and can understand EJR's enthusiasm for this piece. It would have made a stirring start to the morning, especially in wartime. CP