ABSTRACT
Works by Juan Jose Mantecon – eg Danza del atardecer and El osor triste from his Circo suite – have, just like the composer himself, a singular quality hard to express in words: possibly, the nearest term would be charme. Rodolfo Halffter exceptional care as regards detail and the tectonic clarity of his music seem effortless, such is his fluency and sense of rhythmic flow. In the penultimate concert of the spring series, Maestro Casals offered an overview of the already abundant works of the young Spanish musician Ernesto Halffter, not so long heard alongside the Madrid composers from Madrid in a concert promoted by the Associacio de Musica de Camera. Salvador Bacarisse composer may be a bit too absorbed by matters of harmony and is not so demanding of himself when it comes to melody. Active in organizing concerts and music programmes on radio, he eventually settled permanently in Paris, where he continued to compose prolifically until his death.
