Word: zabaleta
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Nathan Milstein, Pianist Guiomar Novae's, the Obernkirchen Children's Choir, Cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, the Quartette di Roma, Pianist Artur Rubinstein, Guitarist Andrés Segovia, Mezzo-Soprano Jennie Tourel, Baritone Theodor Upp-man, Duo-Pianists Vronsky and Babin, Baritone William Warfield, Soprano Frances Yeend, Harpist Nicanor Zabaleta...
...Brasileiras No. 8 that had the Philadelphia cellos singing with a tone of thick-piled velvet. Then came the symphony, as prodigal with melodies as a bargain basement with wares, innocently loaded with hints of other compositions, but still characteristic and convincing. The concerto, expertly played by Harpist Nicanor Zabaleta, was paler, but it did have 'some gripping episodes, notably the haunting harp harmonics accompanying a string song in the slow movement. Both works were put in the shade by the concluding piece, Chôros No. 6 (written in 1926), a fine tropical thunderstorm accompanied by pagan drums...
...Zabaleta is too well established to suffer from the silence of the Manhattan press. Basque-born (he now makes his home in Puerto Rico) Zabaleta has been a student of the harp since seven, a recitalist since 22. After early successes in Europe, he turned to Latin America, and has made more than 1,000 appearances there, but only after an interval of bad luck: he had barely started when he caught a fungus infection in his fingers. For four years he was limited to teaching (in the Caracas conservatory). But "I do not have the teacher's mentality...
Since there was little available music for solo harp and he has "no ability for composing" either, Zabaleta decided that he must uncover music written for the harp rather than resort to arrangements. For a year and a half he searched the libraries of Europe, turned up some surprising finds, e.g., harp music by one of Bach's sons, by Beethoven, Handel and Faure, as well as by early Spanish and French composers. That still left one gap: the moderns. To fill it, Zabaleta began badgering living composers to write for the harp. So far, six concertos have been...
Next after his recital, Harpist Zabaleta will make a record (for Esoteric), then load his harp into an airplane and take off for a month-long Caribbean concert tour. After that he heads for more recitals in the U.S. Northwest and Alaska...