Presents
Édouard Lalo
Serenade from Namouna for String Quartet
Édouard Lalo (1823-1892) today, outside of France, is best known for his Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra and perhaps his cello concerto. Within France, he is remembered for his opera Le roi d'Ys. Hardly anyone knows or has heard his excellent chamber music, which includes three very appealing piano trios and a string quartet. Lalo was born in Lille and studied at the local conservatory there before entering the Paris Conservatory, where he studied with the well-known French violinist and conductor, François Habeneck. Before he made a name for himself as a composer, for nearly two decades, Lalo made his living working as a violinist, and in particular, performing chamber music. If one considers this, it is perhaps not so surprising that he was able to write such attractive and finished chamber works. The name Lalo is of Spanish origin, and although Lalo's family had settled in the north of France some 300 years before he was born, he was fascinated by Spain and this can be heard in several of his works, including this one.
Namouna was a ballet for which Lalo wrote the music. It premiered in 1882. The Serenade is markedly Spanish sounding with its hints of guitars and with loud outbursts. The writing was highly praised by his contemporaries including Chabrier and Debussy. His publisher clamored for arrangements and in 1883 Lalo complied and arranged the ballet music as a suite for orchestra. It is in this version by which the work became known. However, Lalo also made an arrangement of the Serenade for string quartet which was published in 1884. In many ways, the arrangement for string quartet is superior to the orchestral version with its charm and intimacy. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a recording of the music played by a quartet and have substituted the orchestral version which will nonetheless give you a good idea of how it sounds.
Long out of print, this short work makes a superb encore.
Parts: $12.95
Parts & Score: $15.95
