Traditional Catalan Dance Suite

   After the Spanish Civil War, Joaquim Serra was faced with the difficult post-war period in which he had to overcome all kinds of challenges. This situation meant that he was unable to compose any more music until 1945.

   In 1947, at the instigation of Manuel Cubeles, the Esbart Verdaguer association was founded which was dedicated to the conservation and continuity of traditional Catalan dance heritage. Joaquim Serra was appointed Musical Director. Many of his admirable and exemplary orchestrations and glossaries of Catalan dances were produced on behalf of this Association. For around ten years, Maestro Serra received commissions to produce versions of these dances for cobla bands, chamber orchestras and symphony orchestras. This situation was undoubtedly of great help to him in many other aspects of his life. Among the pieces that Manuel Cubeles brought to him to write is this collection which has now been published together in the form of a suite, containing all the eight orchestrations of these traditional dances for piano and string orchestra that the composer created between 1949 and 1950.

On examining them and performing them you will appreciate the exquisite savoir faire of Joaquim Serra both as a composer and as an orchestrator.   

The editing was based on the original material from the author and the pianist Joan Manau i Valor did the final review on the occasion of its re-launch in 2014 in Vilanova i la Geltrú.

                                                                                                                                                Josep-Maria Serracant