Zapateado

Le Zapateado est la dernière des six pièces écrites par Granados sur des chants populaires espagnols. Cette oeuvre, raffinée malgré la simplicité du propos, est partagée en trois parties, celle du milieu Poco meno (Scherzo)» intervenant judicieusement pour casser» le caractère systématiquement incisif de la danse. La dynamique sonore est importante. Aucune performance technique n'est imposée mais la rapidité, l'obligation d'une pulsation soutenue, implacable, et une mise en place quelque fois périlleuse, rendent l'exécution difficile même si l'ensemble est assez guitaristique.
(Geneviève Chanut, Les Cahiers de la Guitare)

This work comes from a collection for piano entitled Seis piezas sobre Cantos populares Españolas. A glance at the back cover of this publication reveals that most of the other movements are also available as guitar duets. Zapateado follows the design of Granados' more famous Danzas Espanolas, where the central section is often in a parallel major or minor key. Here. the very Moorish sounding poco meno in D minor with its whirling scale passages contrasts sharply with the lively outer sections in D major. No fingering is given. but the notes lie well enough, both parts being of equal interest. This piece, perhaps coupled with one or two of the others in the collection, would be worth investigating by any Niveau 8 duo wanting some different Spanish repertoire. The production is good, but the parts do contain some impossible page turns and are unusable as they stand.
(Peter Rueffer, Classical Guitar)