Toccata (Homenaje a Manuel de Falla) / Toccata (Tribute to Manuel de Falla)

For Piano


Commentary
Recording
Review
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Commentary

Composed between January and February 1995 at the request of the pianist Humerto Quagliata, to whom it is dedicated, this Toccata makes its character explicit in its title, and its intention in its subtitle. With regard to the first, there are frequent passages of fast notes, sometimes in the form of bursts, which always within a virtuosic treatment dot the work throughout its length, although they alternate with other quieter areas, of a static and contemplative nature, that provide a counterweight that aims to prevent the whole from becoming unbalanced in one direction or another.

Regarding the intention, the work wishes to be a tribute to Manuel de Falla, in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of his death. The homage does not seek to evoke a fallesque style or aesthetic, but must be sought in aspects more closely related to piano writing, as an abstract resonance. Only from the middle of the piece on appears, twice, a very slight quotation from another tribute: the one that Falla himself wrote pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy, for guitar, whose presence in the work has been foreshadowed since the introduction, and that, although it never achieves direct thematic prominence, it does generate a large part of the material used.

The Toccata (Homenaje a Manuel de Falla) was premiered by Humberto Quagliata in Luxembourg on February 9, 1996.

Recording

Recording (low quality): Humberto Quagliata (San Sebastián, August 26, 1996)

Review

From Falla to Falla
By José Luis García del Busto
(Review published in the ABC newspaper. Madrid, November 16, 1996)

Humberto Quagliata's Recital at the National Auditorium

On the fiftieth anniversary, both halls of the National Auditorium simultaneously hosted pianists offering their personal tributes to Manuel de Falla. Miguel Baselga performed for the Philharmonic Association the entirety of the master from Cádiz's piano works, just as he recently recorded on an excellent compact disc. Meanwhile, Humberto Quagliata gave in Madrid -within the framework of the Autumn Festival- the recital he had already performed in twenty capitals around the world, featuring music by Falla and for Falla. The inclusion of seven new works by as many Spanish composers in this program led us to choose this concert.
Indeed, Quagliata's program opened and closed with Falla's two «Tombeau» pieces -tributes to Debussy and Dukas, respectively- which framed the seven pieces composed in his honor -seven, the "magic number" in Falla's life and work-commissioned by the pianist himself from as many composers. Thus, we were introduced to recent piano works by Bernaola, García Abril, Prieto, Marco, Colomé, Stéfani and Turina, as diverse as their creative personalities.
[...]
And José Luis Turina, recently awarded the National Music Prize -for which we congratulate him- premiered his «Toccata», a splendid work with highly demanding writing across the full range of the piano. In it, the composer -just as he once fantasized over a fantasia by Mudarra- now pays homage to Falla through one of Falla's own tributes, the one dedicated to Debussy.
We applauded Quagliata not only for the initiative of such a program -fully in line with his lifelong dedication to contemporary Spanish music-, but also for his devoted and meticulous performance. At all times, he shared with the composers -six of whom were present- the ovations he received.

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