There are moments in a musical journey when the past suddenly feels present.
During my extraordinary week at the Granada Festival, I experienced one of those moments—not only through the creation of El Sueño del Sitar, but through the opportunity to step inside the world of one of Spain’s greatest composers, Manuel de Falla.
While co-creating El Sueño del Sitar, I was guided by Paolo Pinamonti, Director of the Granada Festival and the Archivo Manuel de Falla, into the extraordinary legacy Falla left behind. Visiting his archive and preserved home offered a remarkable opportunity to encounter his music not simply as notes on a page, but as something rooted in a place, a culture and a very particular way of listening. I was so happy to be guided through the comprehensive, immaculately preserved treasure trove of Manuel de Falla’s life and work by the composer’s grand niece and President of the Manuel de Falla Foundation, Elena Garcia de Paredes, alongside the Foundation’s director of projects, Alvaro Flores Coleto.
Manuel de Falla’s home sits just below the majestic walls of the Alhambra Palace. It is a traditional Granada house with a walled garden, and the moment you step inside, you understand why he chose it.
The house remains exactly as he left it. Seeing his piano, his writing desk, kitchen, bedroom and personal belongings felt like a complete immersion in his world. The simple, unadorned beauty of the space reveals how closely connected his music was to his physical surroundings. To sit in that environment and listen deeply to the sounds of his piano created a unique resonance across time. For a moment, the distance between composer and listener seemed to disappear. The room itself became part of the music.
Seeing Falla’s original manuscripts up close was a spine-tingling experience. Falla was a meticulous craftsman. Looking closely at his handwriting, his corrections, and the notes he scribbled in the margins gives you a direct window into his mind. You can see how he wrestled with rhythms, refined orchestral textures, and sought to capture the fiery passion, the exultant joy and deep sorrow of the music of his homeland. The archive is not simply a collection; it is a living blueprint of his artistic soul.
And this experience felt particularly significant while working on El Sueño del Sitar.
Falla and Ravi Shankar came from very different musical traditions, cultures and generations. Yet both were artists deeply connected to their musical heritage while constantly searching for new possibilities within it.
Falla drew inspiration from the musical culture of Spain and, particularly, Andalusia, transforming those influences into works that continue to speak far beyond their original context. Ravi Shankar similarly brought the richness of Indian music to audiences around the world, opening new doors between musical traditions.
That connection became one of the most fascinating dimensions of El Sueño del Sitar.
From Falla’s Granada roots to Ravi Shankar’s global influence, the work brings together musical histories that might initially seem worlds apart. Yet when we listen deeply, connections begin to emerge: rhythm, colour, improvisation, silence, movement and the relationship between tradition and innovation. The deep, ancient connection between the music of Andalucia and North India reveals itself before our eyes.
This is music’s power.
It does not simply preserve the past. It allows the past to dialogue with the present, and sometimes, to inspire something entirely new.
My deepest thanks to the Granada Festival, Paolo Pinamonti, Elena Garcia de Paredes and the Manuel de Falla Foundation for opening this window into the creative process of a true musical genius
To experience Falla’s world while creating a new work connecting the cultures of Spain and India was a reminder that music can travel across generations, cultures and centuries.
And sometimes, when we listen closely enough, those centuries feel surprisingly close.
Music connects generations, cultures and stories.