For the elaboration of his eight Spanish Dances (HN 1370), Sarasate employed extant material – folk melodies or songs by well-known composers – which he then blended with his own delightful brand of tonal language. Playera and Zapateado op. 23, which make up nos. 5 and 6 of the third volume of Spanish Dances, were composed in the summer 1879. Zapateado is a breath-taking, highly virtuosic dance in which the violin is able to show off all its technical possibilities. This is why the work also quickly became one of the composer’s most successful performance pieces for himself as violinist. Now offered by Henle as a stand-alone edition, this piece has not lost any of its allure and continues to enjoy great popularity.
