'Spanish music is more than flamenco' — a perfect listen as Spain lifts the World Cup

Spanish conductor Antonio Mendez, making his first appearance with the Korea National Symphony Orchestra [Korea National Symphony Orchestra]

The sensuality of Spain's Andalusia is coming to the heart of Seoul — carried on the scent of sun-drenched oranges and olive trees and the fierce, rousing beat of flamenco.

"In southern Spain, summer afternoons are so hot you can't do anything," conductor Antonio Mendez said at a recent meeting with Korean journalists. "And yet there's that moment when you force yourself outside and try to make something happen — that's what the music captures." He was referring to "Afternoon," a movement from "The Three-Cornered Hat" by Manuel de Falla, the Spanish composer born 150 years ago this year. "The sensory landscape — the scent of lemon and orange blossom, of olive and pine — is distinctly Mediterranean and yet utterly its own. A traditional, self-sufficient way of life breathes inside that music."

This is already his sixth visit to Seoul, but it marks the first time he will take the podium for a Korea National Symphony Orchestra subscription concert. "I'm Spanish, and I get to meet Korean audiences with a festival program perfectly suited to this moment — right after Spain won the World Cup," he said with a laugh.

The program is, in a word, all-Spanish. Mendez is joined by Spanish violinist Leticia Moreno, and together they bring a program drawn entirely from Spanish composers to Korean audiences.

Having arrived early for the first rehearsal, Mendez expressed satisfaction with the Korea National Symphony. "The orchestra's technique is outstanding, but what struck me even more was the warm, collegial atmosphere among the musicians," he said. "They came to the very first rehearsal already at a high level of preparation, which means the remaining time can be spent refining expressive details. For a conductor, that is a great luxury and privilege."

The concert's second half honors the 150th birth anniversary of Manuel de Falla, one of the towering figures of Spanish music. Mendez has programmed the "Interlude and Dance" from Falla's opera "La vida breve" alongside the first and second suites from the ballet "The Three-Cornered Hat." His aim is to move beyond the image of Spanish music as merely exotic dance and to remind audiences of the sophisticated orchestral architecture that lies within it.

"Falla is the greatest orchestral composer Spain has ever produced," Mendez said. "Just as Hungary's Bartók absorbed Eastern European folk music and reimagined it with a modern identity, Falla took the bent melodies of flamenco and its distinctive compás — the flamenco rhythmic cycle — and elevated them into the refined language of the orchestra."

The first half of the concert offers a different perspective: "España" by French composer Emmanuel Chabrier and the "Symphonie espagnole" by Édouard Lalo present Spain as seen through an outsider's eyes, forming an intriguing contrast with the authentic voice of the Spanish composers in the second half.

"After the exotic craze sparked by Georges Bizet's opera Carmen in the mid-19th century, French musicians became captivated by the distinctive colors of Spanish sound," Mendez said. Lalo dedicated the "Symphonie espagnole" to the legendary Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. For this performance, Spanish violinist Leticia Moreno — herself a laureate of the Sarasate Competition — takes the solo role, bringing the essence of the Romantic concerto to life. "Seeing an outstanding Spanish violinist perform this concerto will be a great gift for the audience," Mendez said.

Mendez first made his mark on the international stage when he won the 2012 Malko Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, and the following year was named a finalist for the Karajan Young Conductors Award.

"Getting into music was not a plan — it was an accident," he said. "I dreamed of being a footballer, and then I started playing a little Casio keyboard I got as a Christmas present." A football fan himself, he grinned when asked about Spain's World Cup triumph. "I'm absolutely delighted that Spain won," he said.

There were no musicians in his family, but his parents recognized his gift early. When they noticed their son could listen to Christmas carols on television and play them back by ear — a sign of perfect pitch — they asked if he wanted to study music and set him on his path. He began with piano, but switched to violin a year later simply because his new teacher happened to be a violinist. "If that teacher had been a cellist, things might have turned out very differently," he said.

The moment that changed everything came when he was around 16 or 17. "I watched a television broadcast of Simon Rattle conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 2, and I thought: this is exactly what I want to do," he recalled. "Playing violin and being part of that enormous orchestral sound was a joy, but what ignited in me was the desire to stand on the podium and give that vast sound my own perspective and shape."

Chabrier's "España" held special meaning for Mahler too — he called it "the quintessence of modern music." Mendez described what makes Spanish music so immediately recognizable: "The orchestral color, the instrumentation, the rhythm — those are the elements that identify it most clearly. You have the varied use of percussion, harp, piano and celesta, the brilliance of the woodwinds, and special effects like sul ponticello — bowing very close to the bridge — or pizzicato. These are also hallmarks of French Impressionism."

As the concert approached, Mendez spoke with quiet composure but could not hide his excitement. "I would love to come back every year — I love the Korean people, Korean food, and the deep respect Koreans show for orchestras and music," he said, adding that he hopes one day to conduct an orchestral work by composer Unsuk Chin.

He added that Korean audiences leave a lasting impression on him as a performer. "When a concert ends here, the applause is enormous — very warm, but also sudden," he said. "It's completely different from the polite, measured applause that builds slowly in Nordic countries or Germany. It's the same explosive, raw energy you get in southern Europe — in Spain or Italy. As a performer, it gives me real comfort and a thrill."

shee@heraldcorp.com