Navarra: Danse Espagnole, Op.33 for two violins by Pablo de Sarasate
Edited by Aaron Rosand. Published by International.
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) was a legendary Spanish virtuoso violinist. A child prodigy, he studied with Jean-Jacques Alard at the Paris Conservatory. His peerless technical prowess and purity of tone gained him widespread acclaim in Europe and the Americas, and several leading composers of the day wrote substantial pieces for him, including Wieniawski, Lalo, Saint-Saens, and Bruch. He himself wrote many virtuosic show pieces for himself to perform, many of which have become repertory standards.
Sarasate’s “Navarra: Danse Espagnole, Op.33” (1889) pays tribute to his birthplace, Pamplona in the Navarre region of Spain. It evokes traditional dances of the region and in places imitates the sound of the gaitas, a hornpipe-like instrument from the region. It is a challenging work abounding with virtuosic fireworks, including harmonics, double and triple stopping, and left-hand pizzicato–all of which must be perfectly aligned between the soloist partners. A true tour-de-force of a showpiece. Master level, Grade 6.
