Talent is to shine brighter when spotted at the right moment. That’s the case of the Spanish composer and violinist of the Romantic epoch Pablo de Sarasate. At the age of 8 during his first public concert the young violinist was noticed by a wealthy patron, which let his take a good leap in his music studies and performer’s career. Studying under the most renowned teachers like Manuel Rodriguez and gaining the favour of Queen Elizabeth II herself, Sarasate soon became a prize-winning violin virtuoso who toured half the world mesmerizing the public with his unique playing technique.
So what distinguished Pablo’s playing that made his music stand out? As for performing, it is believed that his tune was unbelievably pure – no rhapsodic or sentimental inclination. Add the Spanish flavor to it and you got a rare Romantic style. Sarasate was also one of the very few composers who wrote original music for violin at the time. No wonder that his influence spread on numerous works of his contemporaries and on later compositions: to name Bizet’s Carmen, or Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, or Saint-Saens’ Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso among a few. Composer’s most famous show-works for violin and orchestra – Zigeunerweisen, Carmen Fantasy, Navarra, Souvenirs of Faust – remained almost untouched by the severe critical remarks. It is in his original compositions that Sarasate managed to demonstrate and highlight his unsurpassed performing style. This rare talent inspired many composers who dedicated their works to Pablo de Sarasate: Wieniawski, Lalo, Bruch, Mackenzie, Saint-Saens. One of composer’s violins still bears his name – Sarasate Stradivarius kept in the Musée de la Musique in Paris.
Enjoy Navarra for 2 violins and orchestra:
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| Caricature of Pablo de Sarasate |
Enjoy Navarra for 2 violins and orchestra:
