Habanera

Habanera This is something of a companion piece to Eric Wilson’s arrangement of Tango by the Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz. This ‘Spanish’ music, however, was composed by a Frenchman! Chabrier was not to the only composer from France to fall under the spell of its neighbour – Ravel was another, with Bizet’s Carmen an obvious trailblazer. Following a trip to Spain in 1882 Chabrier’s España met with great success and he followed it up in 1885 with this Habanera; originally for piano and later orchestrated by Chabrier himself. It’s a neatly formed piece, occasionally surprising in its dissonance and dynamic contrasts. Players should approach the music with a sultry, perhaps even romantic, feel and a degree of panache! The present arrangement for trumpet and piano incorporates elements of Chabrier’s orchestral version and allows the soloist at least some rest!