Ballet by Manuel de Falla
El amor brujo (, "Love, the sorcerer") is a ballet by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for years it was attributed to her husband Gregorio Martínez Sierra. It exists in three versions as well as a piano suite drawn from four of its movements. Andalusian in character, its music includes the celebrated "Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual Fire Dance)", the "Canción del fuego fatuo (Song of the Will-o'-the-Wisp)" and the "Danza del terror". Its songs are in Andalusian Spanish.
Versions and performance history.
Gitanería (1915).
"El amor brujo" was commissioned in 1914 as a "gitanería", or danced gypsy entertainment, dedicated to the flamenco dancer and cantaora Pastora Imperio. It was finished the next year but its premiere, on 15 April at the Teatro Lara in Madrid, proved unsuccessful. This version, in two scenes, is for dancers and actors and is scored for cantaora voice and chamber ensemble.
First revised version (1916).
Falla then revised the ballet by removing its spoken dialogue, replacing the cantaora part with three songs for mezzo-soprano and enlarging the accompaniment for sextet and small orchestra. The plot was slightly changed as well. This more concise version, still in two scenes, was played on 12 March 1916 by members of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra under Enrique Fernández Arbós. But it was modified several times, starting the following year when Fernández Arbós proposed a production at the Teatro Real.
Ballet pantomímico (1924).
By 1924 Falla had evolved "El amor brujo" into the one-act "ballet pantomímico" best known today, mainly by enlarging its orchestration. This was published by Chester the next year and given in Paris. It premiered in America on 17 March 1927 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House with Alexander Smallens conducting the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company and mezzo-soprano soloist Kathryn Noll.
Suite of excerpts for piano (1922).
Before completing the published ballet, Falla made a suite for piano comprising four of the movements: "Pantomima", "Danza del terror", "Romance del pescador" and "Danza ritual del fuego". This is G69 in the published works.
Synopsis.
"El amor brujo" is the story of an Andalusian gypsy woman called Candela. Although her affection is for a man named Carmelo, as a girl she was promised to be married to another man (then a boy). After many years Candela's husband has died (at the hands of the husband of a woman named Lucia), but he continues to haunt his wife.
The entire village knows about the haunting, but still brands Candela as crazy because she dances every night with her husband’s ghost ("Danza del terror"). Candela, now a widow, is free to establish a relationship with Carmelo, but continues to be haunted by her husband's ghost.
After a conversation with other women of the village, Candela finally comes to realise that her husband was unfaithful to her, despite all her efforts to make their marriage work; her husband's lover is revealed to have been Lucia.
Candela and Carmelo get advice that a ritual dance is necessary to cast the ghost off ("Danza ritual del fuego"), but it does not work. The ghost is still obsessed with Candela's soul.
Candela manages to trick Lucía to come that night, with the excuse of hooking her up with Carmelo. As she turns up, the nightly ritual of Candela's dance with her husband's ghost begins, but at the last moment Candela moves away from her husband and Lucía is taken away by her now dead lover ("Danza del juego de amor").
Dawn breaks, Candela and Carmelo are now truly free to enjoy their love.
Films.
In 1967 Francisco Rovira Beleta directed a film version. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but lost to Jiří Menzel's "Closely Observed Trains". However, it won the "National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain" award.
In 1986, Spanish director Carlos Saura directed "El amor brujo" based on the ballet, starring and choreographed by Antonio Gades. It was the third in his trilogy of dance films, following "Bodas de sangre" ("Blood Wedding") and "Carmen". The film filled out the story with spoken dialogue, but nevertheless used the entire score of the ballet, along with additional songs and dances performed by characters in the film. The Orquesta Nacional de España was conducted by Jesús López-Cobos, and the cante jondo singer heard on the soundtrack was Rocío Jurado. A soundtrack album, now out of print, was issued by EMI.
Music.
The section "Cancion del Fuego Fatuo" was recorded in 1960 by jazz musician Miles Davis as "Will O' the Wisp" in an arrangement by Gil Evans for their album "Sketches of Spain".
References.
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