Capricho árabe

A tribute to the Moorish heritage of southern Spain, Tárrega’s Capricho árabe (Arabian Caprice) for solo guitar strikes a hushed, dreamy mood that the Spanish composer understood from his upbringing in the province of Castellón. The work’s rhapsodic opening recalls the oud, or Arabic lute, and it proceeds in a steady rhythm that suggests a sensuous danza mora, a traditional Moorish dance. Tárrega builds interest by using a theme and variations form along with shifts between the parallel minor and major keys. Andrés Segovia in his autobiography observed how, during his youth, Capricho árabe was “the pièce de résistance of my repertoire and one especially suited to reach the sensitive chords of a feminine heart”. While the piece capitalises on the guitar’s unique timbres and capabilities (complete with some delicate glissandos), it has also been adapted for piano, violin and chamber orchestra.