Spain Through French Glasses: Ravel And Debussy – Jacobs Music Center, San Diego

Date: Friday, 16 October 2026
Time: 11:00
Venue: Jacobs Music Center
Address: 1245 Seventh Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
City: San Diego
Organisation: San Diego Symphony
Price range: 1,250 €

About this event

Spain Through French Glasses: Ravel and Debussy is a curated orchestral program that bridges impressionist beauty, modern brilliance, and vibrant contemporary sound. The thematic core explores how prominent French composers interpreted and integrated Spanish musical elements—dance rhythms, nocturnal atmospheres, and brilliant orchestral color. A central feature is Shift, a virtuosic trombone concerto by Composer in Residence Jimmy López, co-commissioned by the San Diego, Rotterdam, and San Francisco symphonies. The four-movement work reflects elemental and acoustic phenomena—Sound, Water, Light, and Sonoluminescence (the phenomenon where vibrating sound waves create light-emitting bubbles). Surrounding this contemporary centerpiece is early 20th‑century French repertoire that highlights the intersection of French imagination and Spanish flair, moving from atmospheric impressionism to the jazzy exuberance of 1920s Parisian salons.