El sombrero de tres picos

When Manuel de Falla met the famous Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev in 1916, the seeds of one of the 20th century’s most vibrantly colourful ballets were planted. Diaghilev wanted a new work with a Spanish flavour, so Falla produced El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat), based on a novel by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. The plot involves a miller whose wife is subjected to the amorous advances of a local magistrate, who is eventually tossed skyward in a blanket by jeering villagers. Falla’s score is brilliantly exuberant and spiced with Spanish dances, a soprano soloist and a flamenco-influenced orchestra with added castanets. A dream team of collaborators worked on the ballet’s premiere in London, including the choreographer Massine and the artist Picasso. El sombrero was one of Diaghilev’s greatest successes with his Ballets Russes company, and Falla’s magnificently vibrant music soon acquired a life of its own on the concert platform.