… with Saint-Saëns in Gran Canaria
Manuel Gimferrer, orchestrator.
[ en Español aquí ]
In the midst of the thrilling experience of Broadway in Concert, Manuel was busy orchestrating two works by Saint-Saëns…
Camille de Saint-Saëns had a significant connection with Gran Canaria between 1889 and 1909, during which time he composed around thirty musical works. A charming anecdote is that, upon arriving on the island, he remarked that he didn’t know what appealed to him more: the charm of its climate or that of its people. To this day, he is fondly remembered on the island… and this very spring, a competition was announced for the orchestration of two of his works. Manuel heard the news at Filarmonía, and immediately got to work…
Since Manuel wasn’t chosen as the winner of the competition, now we’re free from the restrictions on its publication, and we thought it would be a good idea to share a snippet of this work in the studio to wrap up the academic year and wish our friends who subscribe to this newsletter a great summer.
The two pieces in question were composed by Saint-Saëns for piano and had not been orchestrated to this day. The two pieces are “Les cloches de Las Palmas” and Valse Canariote”. You could say that this MIDI file you are listening to here is a digital first. It was created using the sound library from NotePerformer, based on the score by Manuel, who works with the Sibelius music edition software. Technology, when used well, makes it possible for us to share this excerpt today.
These works (complete, and including the individual parts) will soon be available to any musicians and orchestras who wish to use them, as nothing would make us happier than to see these works performed live.
See you after the summer!
Mirlo