The Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos died on Wednesday at the age of 80. Tonight on “The Lost Chord,” we celebrate his artistry with highlights from a recording he made in 1978 of the scenic cantata “Atlántida” by Manuel de Falla.
“Atlántida” tells the story of the lost continent of Atlantis, with appearances by Hercules; Pyrene, the Queen of the Pyrenees; the Hesperides (nymphs who tend a blissful garden); Queen Isabella; and a shipwrecked Christopher Columbus.
Interestingly, Falla eschews the overtly Spanish idioms that make his ballets, “El Amor Brujo” and “The Three-Cornered Hat,” so insistently memorable. The result is something much more austere, akin to the choral works of Stravinsky and Arthur Honegger.
It is Falla’s most ambitious work, at which he labored for 20 years, up until his death in 1946. The composer envisioned it to be his magnum opus, yet it is very seldom heard. Falla disciple Ernesto Halffter arranged the incomplete sketches into a performing edition, which he conducted at the work’s premiere in 1961. He revised the piece in 1976, at the request of Falla’s publisher, allegedly bringing the work closer to the composer’s vision.
Frühbeck de Burgos recorded it two years later. He retained affection for the piece for the remainder of his life, conducting a generous suite of highlights with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as recently as 2010.
That’s “Farewell to Frühbeck,” remembering Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. You can enjoy it tonight at 10 ET, with a repeat Thursday night at 11; or listen to it later as a webcast, at http://www.wwfm.org.