UC Riverside Department of Music presents:

Enrique Granados “Los majos enamorados” (The Young lovers)

Marisa Martins, mezzo soprano

Mac McClure, piano

An important part of Enrique Granados's (1867-1916) work was inspired by the art of Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). Granados' attraction to the life and art of Goya emerged while Spain was seeking to find its artistic place in a Europe much more advanced and developed at the turn of the twentieth century. The bohemian character of the majo and maja captivated both Goya and Granados:  the majo, with his lace collar, velvet waistcoat, silk stockings, hat, and a belt in which he carries a knife; and the maja, sassy and streetwise, working in low-class jobs as a maid or selling items on the street, usually packing a knife hidden under her skirt.

            Granados was fascinated by the rich visual detail of Goya's paintings, giving his music a sensuality through vocal melodic lines full of ornamentation.  The music of Scarlatti, teacher at the Spanish court, is reflected in the music of the piano suite Goyescas and the Tonadillas. Ornamentation, trills, and mordents, give a gallant air of romance to his writing.

            Los majos enamorados (The Young Lovers) consists of three numbers from the piano suite Goyescas:  "Los requiebros" (Flirtations), "Fandango de candil" (Fandango by Lamplight), and "La maja y el ruiseñor" (The Maiden and the Nightingale); the collection of Tonadillas in the old style; and some of the Canciones amatorias and love songs in Catalan.

            Throughout his life, Granados wrote about love, passion, and death. This program is intended to give a broad vision of the creative and sensual world of Enrique Granados.

Part of the 2024-2025 Florence Bayz Music Series

The Florence Bayz Music Series offers online concerts, lectures, and presentations of academic research by Department of Music faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, and international guest artists and scholars.

Paulo Chagas, coordinator.

Events are free and open to the public.

BIOS

Marisa Martins, mezzo-soprano

The Spanish-Argentinean mezzo-soprano began her studies in Buenos Aires where she was born, and continued in the Superior Conservatory in Barcelona.

The core of her repertoire lies in Monteverdi (Ottavia, Proserpina, Minerva), Mozart (Dorabella, Annio, Zerlina, Idamante, Tamiri) and Rossini (Zaida, Doralice, Roggiero), roles that she has sung in Liceu theatre in Barcelona, La Zarzuela and Teatro Real in Madrid, Theâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and Mozart Festival in La Coruña. For the 250th Mozart's anniversary celebration she makes her debut in Salzburg Festival with L'oca of the Cairo and sposo deluso. She performed this repertoire with conductors of the stature of René Jacobs, Harry Bicket, Giovanni Antonini, Fabio Biondi, Christopher Hogwood, Alberto Zedda, Ottavio Dantone, Attilio Cremonesi, among others.

Especially interested in the relationship between voice and movement, she has worked in productions that combine music and modern dance in the theatres of Basel and Lucerna, Hebbel-Theater in Berlin, The Opera of Cologne, Brooklyn Academy of Music of New York, Early Music Festival in Innsbruck and for The Fischhouse in San Francisco working with prestigious choreographers like Trisha Brown, Joachim Schloemer and Charles Moulton.

As a recitalist she feels a predilection for the French and Spanish repertory and has given world premieres by Montsalvatge, Frederic Mompou, Miquel Ortega, Carlota Garriga, Ernest Borràs, Enric Palomar, David Padrós, Josep M. Quadreny and Jordi Rossinyol.

Among her recordings are the “Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi” by Monteverdi for Harmonia Mundi under the direction of René Jacobs; for Lauda Música “El gran Burlador” (Diapason d’or: “Grandes Voix Humaines. Henry Jacqueton”); “Frederic Mompou” -Warner Music- with the Real Filharmonía de Galicia orchestra and, for Columna Música, “Frederic Mompou -Combat del somni-”, “Requiem” by Xavier Benguerel (Cd Compact 2007 award), “Montsalvatge Integral de canto (Vol I)” and the Grammy nominee opera “El gato con botas” with the orchestra of the Liceu Theatre. www.marisamartins.com

Dr. Mac McClure is internationally recognized for his profound and in depth knowledge of Spanish music. In the words of Xavier Montsalvatge “ Mac knows my music just as well if not better than me, and is an excellent performer of Falla, Mompou, and Granados and is one of the most outstanding protégés of the Marshall Academy. “ He has recorded forty compact disc of Catalan and Spanish repertory. Among these recordings, the world premier recording of the songs by Albeniz, the first recording for the complete version of the Granados quintet, as well as the complete songs and three discs of piano music by Frederic Mompou. All recordings are available on digital platforms such as iTunes, Spotify Amazon ectera.

He studied at the Marshall academy in Barcelona with Carlota Garriga, and for nine years studied with Alicia de Larrocha. He has studied and worked in detail with the following composers, learning and performing their music: Xavier Montsalvatge, Joaquin Nin-Cumell, Carlos Surinach, Ricardo Llorca, Miquel Ortega, Carlota Garriga, Xavier Turull, Moises Bertran, Alberto Garcia Demestres, Miquel Ortega, Luis Carlos Figueroa and Jaime Leon.

He studied in depth the French vocal repertoire with Dalton Baldwin (1997-2003) performing almost the complete vocal works of Debussy, Poulenc and Faure.

He has edited and published numerous scores for the publishing firm Bolieau Muisc in Barcelona; (Albeniz, Granados, Cassado and Gerhard).

He is Associate Professor of piano at the National University in Bogotá Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia).

More information can be found at www.macmcclure.com

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