Variations on a Theme from Carmen
Les tringles des sistres tintainent is the name of the gypsy dance from Carmen's Act II. It revisits the exotic nature of gypsy zingaras and zingarellas, dancing under the rhythm of strange and exotic music. Surely, Bizet is not the only classical composer who finds inspiration under gypsy music. As we know, Liszt wrote the Hungarian Rhapsodies playing homage to his own cultural origins and Brahms did too when writing his Hungarian Dances. Nevertheless, rest assured that Bizet's gypsy dance is so feverish and intoxicating that not even the great Horowitz could resist honoring his work. Furthermore, what makes these variations so special is the fact that Horowitz kept playing these and adding more exquisite measures throughout his entire repertoire..png) |
| Variations on a Theme from Carmen: first four bars |
The piece demands extraordinary technical prowess from the executioner. It's full of intriguing chords, alternating chromatic scales, and mind-blowing cadenzas, which would be a challenge for any wunderpianisten, let alone Horowitz himself. You could argue that the same as there are no two equal versions of the Carmen Variations, there will never again be another Vladimir Horowitz. The genius eventually got tired of playing this theme, as audiences would often forget the rest of the program after the encore.
Horowitz clearly reminds us that you can only enjoy so much of a good thing. As time went by, the variations became clearly more sophisticated. This went on for over 50 years. Personally, I believe it wasn't the variations that were changing; it was the genius himself.
Specifications
Carmen is an opera in four acts written by Georges Bizet. It tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naive soldier who is seduced by the gypsy Carmen, yet loses Carmen's love to the toreador Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage.
Les tringles de sistres tintaient translation:
The rods of the sistrums tinkled with a metallic lustre
and on this strange music the zingarellas rose.
Basque tambourines went their course and exaggerated guitars
squeaked under stubborn hands, same song, same refrain.
Money and copper rings glittered on the darkened skins;
of streaked orange or red, the fabrics floated with the wind.
The dance to the song is married, initially undecided and timid,
sharper then and more rapid... that went up, went up, went up, went up!
Gypsies, with turn of arm, their instruments made rage,
and this dazzling din bewitched the zingaras.
Under the rhythm of song, burning, insane, fevered,
they were left, intoxicated, to carry the whirlwind!
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.png "Variations on a Theme from Carmen")
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