The Leading Classical Music Label Direct To You

Read reviews, listen to the music, and purchase the COMPACT DISC Preludes and Choruses From Zarzuelas

Customer Service Toll Free 866.489.4152

Flash 9 required. Click to download.

Narrow your search
with our Music Browser

Classical Music

        Ballet
        Chamber Music
        Choral
        Concertos
        Film Music
        Folk Legends
        Instrumental
        Musicals
        Opera / Operetta
        Orchestral
        Vocal

Jazz

Jazz Contemporary
Jazz Icons

New Age

Wind Band

World

        Ballad
        Bhuddist
        Chinese Music
        Classical (World)
        Early Music (World)
        Folk
        Gamelan
        Gypsy
        Hindustani
        Jazz (World)
        Klezmer
        Sufi
        Vocal (World)
        World

Special Offers:

Free MP3 Downloads

A Special Offer for Valentines

Catalogs

Internship Opportunities

Celebrating Black History

Masters of American Music

53rd Annual Grammy� Award Winners

Clearance

Penguin Guide

200 Essential Recordings

Recently Released

Upcoming Releases

SACD

DVD

        Ballet DVD
        Classical Concert
        Classical Documentary
        Dance Documentary
        Opera DVD

Audio Books

        Anthologies / Collections
        Arts
        Biographies
        Children's Classics
        Classic Fiction
        Great Epics and Tales
        History
        Junior Classic Fiction
        Junior History
        Literature
        Music Biographies
        Music Education
        Non-Fiction
        Philosophy
        Plays - Others
        Plays - Shakespeare
        Poetry
        Religion
        Samplers
        Sports
        Wine Guide

NaxosDirect Podcasts

Video Librarian Reviews

Labels

Naxos Label

        Naxos American Classics
        Naxos Best Of...
        Naxos Box Sets
        Naxos Cinema Classics
        Naxos Classics
        Naxos DVD
        Naxos DVD-Audio
        Naxos International
        Naxos Jazz
        Naxos Limited Edition
        Naxos Milken Archives
        Naxos Night Music
        Naxos Opera
        Naxos Orchestral
        Naxos Special Release
        Naxos Wind Band Classics
        Naxos World

Composers

Conductors

Ensembles

Orchestras

Choirs

Artists

Instruments

Producers

Preludes and Choruses From Zarzuelas

Home

Classical Music

Orchestral

View large image

$9.99 (COMPACT DISC)

In Stock - Usually ships within 24 hours.

Link to this COMPACT DISC Link to this page

Preludes and Choruses from Zarzuelas The zarzuela, the historic Spanish musical comedy, endures, known throughout the world for its distinctive...

Read more about this recording

Preludes and Choruses from Zarzuelas The zarzuela, the historic Spanish musical comedy, endures, known throughout the world for its distinctive characteristics. For some years now it has been winning new recognition both in Spain and abroad.

The form had humble and popular origins. Its first representatives, Hernando, Oudrid, Gaztambide or Soriano Fuertes, lacked the technical resources to create anything of value. When Rafael Hernando began to add music to little comedies and the people of Madrid saw its life reflected in light, dynamic, cheerful theatrical performance, the zarzuela triumphed. From that moment the form moved in two directions; on the one hand the zarzuela ‘grande’, openly Italian in style, and on the other the ‘género chico’, completely Spanish, with its name ‘chico’ (little) referring only to the length of the works, always in one act, as opposed to the usual three acts of the zarzuela. Gradually what we may call ‘Gran Zarzuela’ succumbed to foreign influences, so that at one of the heights of its achievement, in the nineteenth century, with its melodic contours, ambience and libretti it offered entertainment to the patrons of French comic opera, Viennese operetta and, on a larger scale, Italian opera.

The smaller form, the género chico, for its part, when foreign influence gave way to national popularism, is full of what is purely Spanish, that is the use of turns of phrase, idioms and inflections of popular speech. In much the same way the musical language followed suit, adapted, perforce, to the letter and spirit of the libretti. It was, however, not only popular Spanish songs that became part of lyric theatre in Spain, but foreign melodies that were made Spanish, or even Madrilenian, such as the schottisch, the polka or the mazurka. In this way it came about that the people brought to the género chico musical and literary elements, and correspondingly the writers and composers gave back to the people these elements translated and amplified in a repertory that audiences would make their own and that would pass definitively into popular currency.

That national popularism led also to sainete (farce), a theatrical form splendidly defined by Don Ramón de la Cruz as that of portraying ourselves to ourselves, depicting our types, customs, language and surroundings. While the zarzuela continued its connection with the sainete, our lyric theatre reached its zenith with an overwhelming profusion of works; when sainete ceased to be fashionable, the zarzuela reached its weakest point and had to attempt a revival through association with French and Viennese operetta, even in the twentieth century, although there would be no lack of composers, such as Sorozábal, who continued the true Spanish tradition until the 1950s.

The most brilliant period of the zarzuela corresponds, in fact, to the last ten years of the nineteenth century. The process had its origin in Madrid, then the capital of painters and of local artistic styles, self-indulgent and almost narcissistic in nature, which explains the Madrilenian character of the zarzuela, absorbing regional and other folk influences, as from Andalusia, Aragon with its jotas or those of Spanish territories overseas, with their tangos, habaneras, huajiras, and so on. It must be added, however, that the zarzuela still lives through the music of Barbieri, Chueca, Bretón, Chapí, Fernández Caballero, Giménez, Serrano, Vives and Luna, while also owing a good part of its success to its librettists. The present recording offers a rich orchestral and choral sample of the zarzuela.

Fully Italian in style in his Jugar con fuego (Playing with fire) (1864), Barbieri moved gradually towards Madrid popular theatre. El barberillo de Lavapiés (The Little Barber of Lavapiés) (1874) and excerpts from Pan y toros (Bread and Bulls) (1864) represent the beginning of a process that would change Barbieri into the true creator of the género chico.

The Madrilenian music of Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente (Water, Sweet Cakes and Brandy) (1897) by Federico Chueca better illustrates the Madrid of that time than reading a book on the subject. Chueca succeeded in transforming his work into themes that the people accepted as their own. El chaleco blanco (The White Waistcoat) (1890) and El bateo (1901) are zarzuelas that are purely Spanish in character, full of natural charm and wit.

El rey que rabió (The King Mad with Rage) (1891) by Ruperto Chapí was one of the composer’s great successes. His El tambor de Granaderos (The Drummer of the Grenadiers) (1894) is a real musical delight. Its rhythmic and catchy overture is one of the best examples of the style of Alicante and, for its intrinsic value, deserves to be included in every zarzuela anthology.

Andalusia comes to life in the historic works of Jerónimo Giménez referring to the Cadiz master of dance Luis Alonso: El baile de Luis Alonso (The Dance of Luis Alonso) (1896) with text by Javier de Burgos and its sequel La boda de Luis Alonso (The Marriage of Luis Alonso) (1897). Fernández Caballero is in sparkling form in his El dúo de La Africana (The Couple of L’Africaine) (1893), in which the strength of the music makes us forget the feeble plot.

At the beginning of the twentieth century one of the names of importance is that of Amadeo Vives, who was concerned with problems of instrumentation and form. Here is included the fine entr’acte from Bohemios (1904). In this work Vives achieves a light and attractive type of musical comedy with songs that find their place in the new century, operetta. At the height of this form the Aragon composer Pablo Luna takes us from Madrid to Aleppo and from there to India in the score of El niño judío (The Jewish Boy) (1918), in the inspired prelude to which the trumpet plays the famous theme of the national anthem, distinctly patriotic and even chauvinist. Soutullo, from Galicia, and Vert, from Valencia, worked together on a Castilian legend in La leyenda del beso (The Legend of the Kiss) (1924), an important work reveals two talented composers. This lyrical and passionate entr’acte is known to everyone. Three years later they staged a regional zarzuela, La del soto del parral (The Bower of the Parral) (1927); the dialogue between the women’s and men’s chorus here included is one of the most famous parts of this work.

The prelude that opens the second act of El caserío (The Country House) (1926) by Jesús Guridi, one of the most interesting composers, is a splendid orchestral composition. In it we hear the txistu, an instrument that evokes the folk-music of the Basque country. The balance of its elements and the strength of instrumentation place the work beyond the traditional limits of the zarzuela.

Another Basque composer, Pablo Sorozábal, is important in the revival of the Madrilenian sainete. He has modernised the form through the realism of his libretti, witnessed by his Don Manolito (1942), a sainete in two acts.

The excerpts included in the present release provide examples of an art that endures, the zarzuela, as every day it is brought to new life.

Manuel García Franco

English version by Keith Anderson

Disc 1

El tambor de granaderos

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Ruperto Chapi
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El tambor de granaderos: Preludio - 5:26

El barberillo de Lavapies

(more info)

Performed by: Tenerife Symphony Orchestra Madrid Community Orchestra Wurttembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen
Composed by: Francisco Asenjo Barbieri
Conducted by: Victor Pablo Perez Miguel Roa Thomas Herzog
Carlos Javier Mendez Suarez, vocals
Javier Medina, vocals
Arturo Guanche, vocals
Lola Casariego, mezzo-soprano
Manuel Lanza,
Noemi Nadelmann, soprano
Recording date: May 1999

El barberillo de Lavapies: El noble gremio - 6:17

El rey que rabio

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Ruperto Chapi
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El rey que rabio: Coro de doctores - 3:08

Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Federico Chueca
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May 1999

Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente: Prelude - 2:38

La boda de Luis Alonso, o La noche del encierro

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
Composed by: Jeronimo Gimenez
Conducted by: Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El baile de Luis Alonso: Intermedio - 3:34
La boda de Luis Alonso: Intermedio - 5:47

El chaleco blanco

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Federico Chueca
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May 1999

El chaleco blanco: Seguidillas - 2:13

El bateo

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Federico Chueca
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El bateo: Prelude - 3:17

Bohemios

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Amadeo Vives
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

Bohemios: Preludio - 5:22

El duo de la africana

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Manuel Fernandez Caballero
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El duo de la africana: Se marcha furioso - 3:14

El nino judio

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Pablo Luna
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

El nino judio: Prelude - 4:33

La leyenda del beso: Intermedio

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Reveriano Soutullo Juan Vert
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

La leyenda del beso: Intermedio - 5:30

La del Soto del Parral

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Reveriano Soutullo Juan Vert
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

La del soto del parral: Ronda de enamorados - 4:31

El caserio

(more info)

Performed by: Bilbao Symphony Orchestra Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Jesus Guridi
Conducted by: Juan Jose Mena Miguel Roa
Ana Rodrigo, soprano
Emilio Sanchez, tenor
Felipe Nieto, tenor
Fernando Latorre, tenor
Vincente Sardinero, baritone
Gorka Sierra, choirmaster
Maria Jose Suarez, soprano
Recording date: May, 1999

El caserio: Preludio (II acto) - 6:16

Don Manolito

(more info)

Performed by: Madrid Community Orchestra
Composed by: Pablo Sorozabal
Conducted by: Miguel Roa
Recording date: May, 1999

Don Manolito: Ensalada madrilena - 3:21

Reviews

Write a review

Coros y preludios de Zarzuelas (Oct 20, 2009)
Reviewer:hector cortes
Is there anything more glorious in the world of music than the Zarzuel? If there is, I haven't heard it or you haven't heard Zarzuela properly.

FREE SHIPPING on orders
of 5 items or more!

Earn Naxos Rewards Points by opening an account and buying your favorite music today! Create your account here.

See all of our great site features here.

Flash 9 required. Click to download.

Composer(s):
Barbieri, Francisco Asenjo; Caballero, Manuel Fernandez; Chapi, Ruperto; Chueca, Federico; Gimenez, Jeronimo; Guridi, Jesus; Luna, Pablo; Sorozabal, Pablo; Soutullo, Reveriano; Vert, Juan; Vives, Amadeo

Conductor(s):
Roa, Miguel

Orchestra(s):
Madrid Community Orchestra

Label: Naxos Classics
UPC: 747313595723
Item Number: 8555957
Release Date: Feb 1, 2003