Nicanor Zabaleta

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Nicanor Zabaleta (born January 7, 1907 in San Sebastián , † March 31, 1993 in San Juan (Puerto Rico) ) was a Spanish harpist .

Life

Nicanor Zabaleta first studied harp in Spain with Vincenta Tormo de Calvo and Luisa Menarguez , followed by private lessons with Marcel Tournier in Paris, where he also had his official concert debut in 1926, which was followed by a 66-year solo career. After a short military service, Zabaleta moved to the USA and appeared for the first time in New York in 1934, followed by tours to Cuba and Mexico. In 1950 he met his future wife Graziela Torres at a concert in Puerto Rico, whom he married in 1952. In 1951 Zabaleta returned to Spain and performed in numerous European cities. Zabaleta gave his last concert in June 1992 in Madrid.

From the 1960s onwards, he made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon . In 1983 Zabaleta was awarded the Spanish Premio Nacional de Música, and in 1988 he was elected to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando .

Zabaleta's repertoire focused on the 18th century and neoclassicism , but he also campaigned intensively for the work of the romantic composer Elias Parish Alvars and also premiered a number of contemporary works, such as the harp concertos by Alberto Ginastera and Xavier Montsalvatge and the concert for Harp and electronics by Josef Tal . At his request, Joaquín Rodrigo arranged his Concierto de Aranjuez for the harp.

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personal data
SURNAME Zabaleta, Nicanor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish harpist
DATE OF BIRTH January 7, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH San Sebastian
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 1993
Place of death San Juan (Puerto Rico)