Joaquín Malats - Serenata Española

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JOAQUÍN MALATS (1872-1912)

One of the first to perform Albeniz’s Iberia was the formidable Barcelona pianist Joaquim Malats.

“I am writing Iberia … essentially because of you and for you”.  Albéniz wrote in a letter dated 1907.

An admired virtuoso in Europe and the United States, Malats composed a lot of salon music, of which the Serenata Española is the most popular.

Originally a piano composition (1903), Serenata Española was arranged for classical guitar by Francisco Tarrega and appealed to me so much that I decided to split it between two guitars. But I did not start from the guitar transcription, but from the piano one. I found that the whole final part was missing from the guitar edit, probably due to the instrument limits of a single guitar. Thanks to the arrangement for two guitars, I didn't have to make so many compromises, the melodies can be played on the second or thirdstring, and this results in much more beautiful cantilenas.