Copla – Music of Spanish Legends by Tariq Harb

Copla | Music of Spanish Legends
by Tariq Harb
© 2017 Tariq Harb

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I was very pleased to hear Tariq Harb’s new album. I’ve featured Harb a number of times on the site and I’m always impressed by his great playing and down-to-Earth attitude. “A Jordanian-Canadian with Palestinian roots, Harb came to Canada to commence university studies.” Harb now holds a PhD and has established himself and a leading guitarist through his many competition wins, performances, and recordings. He’s also on faculty at Concordia University’s Music Department. “This CD features solo Spanish guitar music written by legendary composers who were inspired by the art of Flamenco and the Andalusian copla (popular song), evoking Spanish regions and landscapes, and preserving both the joy and melancholy of Spanish culture known today.” The album was recorded at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The sound quality is fantastic, as expected, from the excellent guitarist/producer Drew Henderson.

Copla by Tariq Harb is filled with beautiful Spanish melodies and exciting virtuosic performances. Harb combines his top-notch guitar skills with tasteful musicianship to switch between extroverted joy to introverted charm. Best of all, he’s not afraid to take risk and articulate/colour his performances with Spanish flair. There are some beautiful melodic works by Sor and Albéniz but also some more dark and brooding textures by Rodrigo, Turina, and Tárrega. General listeners will love the Spanish repertoire and mix of classics, guitar aficionados will appreciate having a exceptional recording of the repertoire from a modern artist.

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