About this release
The great Basque-Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta was born in San Sebastian in 1907, and took up the
harp after his father, an amateur musician, presented him with a harp he had found in an antique shop. He
was just seven years old. He made his debut in Paris in 1926, and went on to travel widely, including the USA in 1934. Zabaleta died in Puerto Rico in 1993, just one year after giving his last recital. Many leading 20th century composers wrote for him, including Ginastera, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, Piston, Rodrigo and Krenek. Zabaleta also expanded the repertoire of works for his instrument by making skilful arrangements of baroque music, and this 2CD set contains arrangements of concertos by Bach and Handel. Both composers were themselves skilled at recycling material -- not always their own! The Bach concertos for example are arrangements Bach had made of violin concertos by Vivaldi, so Zabaleta's arrangements follow a time honoured tradition. The harp, like the guitar, depends on arrangements for much of its repertoire -- although some composers have added works specifically written for the instrument to the repertoire. The second CD in this set is devoted to arrangements of music by Spanish composers.
Further information
- Recordings made in 1964, 1967, 1972 and 1979
- 'The arrangement is made with great skill and like all the other pieces here, is most beautifully
played and recorded.' Gramophone review of Spanish Harp Music, September 1972
- '(Zabaleta's) arrangements of unfailing respect and taste ... elegantly delivered with crisp
ornamentation ... cleanly recorded and well balanced, completes the pleasure of a delightful issue.'
Gramophone review of Bach and Handel Concertos March 1980