Turkish-born harpist Beste Toparlak has released a solo album titled Valses Poéticos, adapting the eponymous collection of short waltzes by Enrique Granados for the harp. Recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina, the album was accepted into the “Best New Global Classical Music Releases” list by Spotify editors the day after its release this January. The album is now available on all digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
In an interview with Aposto (an independent digital media and technology company based in Istanbul and New York), Toparlak says she chose this work for the album because she could picture its interpretive possibilities on the harp; she heard a cohesive story across all nine movements of the piece and wanted to express its emotion and energy through her instrument. Toparlak also says the cultural blend of her own musical education in Turkey, Germany, and the United States helps her offer a fresh, global perspective for this work by Granados, which is based in his Iberian culture.
Learn more on Toparlak’s website.
