Juanjo Mena: Falla – The Three-Cornered Hat – VI. Miller’s Dance

FALLA, Manuel de

The Three-Cornered Hat

VI. Miller’s Dance. Farruca

Juanjo Mena, guest conductor

Freixenet Symphony Orchestra of the Reina Sofía School of Music

In this rehearsal, Maestro Mena corrects the horn solo at the beginning: it has to be a more decisive phrasing, without ritardando, and with power but without playing so loud that the sound is not good or is out of tune. The character should be more “cocky”. Afterwards, the oboe solo should not be so “French”, so colorful and rich in ideas, but simpler (it is like a gypsy lament). The following passage should be sul ponticello. The sound of the bassoon should not be so open, it should imitate the sound of the heel more, and then the sul ponticello would imitate the sound of fingernails strumming the guitar strings. They then work on the fast tempo to improve coordination and ensure they all play together, without accelerando at the final point.
They continue moving forward, reviewing the tempo and meter of the following passages. Mena highlights a certain point where the story changes because it represents the police arresting the miller. It also has to sound very Andalusian, and finally they work on the melodic lines and the sonic balance and integration at the end.

Language: Spanish