Recordings

Josu has released more than a dozen musical recordings, all displaying his distinctive, elegant, romantic style. Drawing on his experience playing for ballet classes, he has issued a popular series of albums designed specifically for ballet barre and center. Beloved by teachers and students, these class albums include Pas de Basque, which features his own original music, and Change of Scene, which highlights his love of Latin American and Spanish music. Allegra Kent called Pas de Basque “the most beautiful ballet album ever.”

Josu has also recorded music for Spanish, character, and folk dance, along with albums for general audiences, just for listening and enjoying. Check out Venezuelan Waltzes and his collection of music from his Basque homeland, Nere Herriko Doinuak below.

Josu’s most popular recordings are available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, & YouTube.

If you’d prefer to purchase and download digital copies of Josu’s recordings, you can do so via Amazon.

Some physical copies of Josu’s recordings are available. Please contact us to check stock.

Ballet Class Recordings

Josu’s lush style is on display in these fifteen adagios for ballet class or simply to enjoy. The album includes two of Josu’s compositions—the evocative Nocturno and the boundlessly romantic Reminiscence—plus a beloved excerpt from Khachaturian’s Spartacus. Composer Khachaturian attended Josu’s Moscow concert and called him “a very sensitive pianist and an extraordinary accompanist.”

A soulful American pop song . . . the stunning perfection of Purcell . . . the romantic sweep of Sibelius and Brahms. In Unchained Melodies, Josu goes far beyond the traditional ballet repertoire and offers fresh inspiration for teachers and dancers everywhere. The recording includes accompaniment for full barre and center played in Josu’s unmistakable style..

This dazzling collection of music for Spanish dance includrs seguidillas, sevillanas, zapateados, a fandango and pasodoble—all performed with Josu’s verve and attention to detail. The album’s twenty-six selections include Amparito Roca, La Verbena de la Paloma, Aires de Lima, and Romanza Andaluza.

Other Dance Recordings

Basque pianist Josu Gallastegui brings the subtle, romantic music of his homeland to audiences everywhere in this outstanding collection. The tracks include traditional Basque folk songs and lullabies, a suite of classic Basque dances, Benito Lertxundi’s evocative ballad, Baldorba, topped off with Josu’s splendid performance of Joaquin Larregla’s unforgettable Jota de Concierto.

Dancers looking for music to inspire them will find it in ample supply in Curtain Call. With twenty-one selections for ballet barre and center, the album includes an infectious excerpt from Smetana for tendu, Bellini’s elegant Quartet for stretch, and Mendelssohn’s graceful Rondo Capriccioso for adagio.

Dancer George Lee called this release "a stunning new standard for music in this field." Dance Magazine’s Marian Horosko noted Josu’s "brilliant, focused, percussive sound." This double album features Music for Ballet Class, with twenty pieces for barre and center, and Character Dance, a glorious collection of mazurkas, tarantellas and folk music. Acclaimed teacher Marina Stavitskaya collaborated on the playlist.

With twenty-three selections for full barre and center, Return Engagement shows why Josu is one of the world's most beloved ballet pianists This sophisticated collection includes music by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Rossini, and Verdi. Among the highlights are Gallastegui’s own Last Summer’s Waltz and Pugnani-Kreisler’s glorious Preludium for plié.

The brilliant creativity of folk dance across Europe and Russia comes to life in this recording—an exhilarating listening experience for dancers and non-dancers alike. The nine selections include the Ukrainian folk dance, Kozachok, nineteenth-century Russian composer Alexander Gurilyov’s Polka-Mazurka, and a traditional Hungarian Czardas.

Imagine the elegance of an afternoon concert at a nineteenth-century Caracas salon. Enjoy the romance of Venezuela’s musical traditions in this album highlighting the country’s classic waltzes and joropos. Josu originally recorded some of these pieces when he lived in Venezuela in the 1970s. The collection includes Sebastián Díaz-Peña’s unforgettable Marisela and Josu’s own Vals Venezolano.

In this unique album, Josu plays the evocative music of his Basque homeland, arranged here for full ballet barre and center. The pianist grew up surrounded by the Basque Country’s rich musical traditions and learned many of the songs in this collection from his father. A Journey Home as a tribute to his parents, Hipólito and Juanita Gallastegui.

An intensely romantic collection, My Turn includes twenty-seven selections for full ballet barre and center, all performed with Josu’s distinctive style. Bizet, Paganini, and Khachaturian are among the composers included. Two of the most exuberant choices—Cascada by Paraguay’s Digno Garcia and Tarantella by Henry Wienianski—defy any dancer to stand still.

Legendary ballerina Allegra Kent describes Pas de Basque as "one of the most beautiful ballet albums ever." Josu composed the recording’s eighteen selections for full barre and center. His haunting adagio, Reminiscence, is likely to become an all-time, much-loved favorite.

Just for Listening

With music from Spain, Cuba, Venezuela, and Argentina, Change of Scene is no ordinary ballet class album. Imaginative and alluring, exotic and elegant, the collection features sixteen selections for barre and an additional thirteen tracks for center. Among them are Perez-Prado’s Mambo No. 5, and Gallastegui’s own Romanza sin Palabras.

Dance Magazine’s Marian Horosko called Measure for Measure "rich, intelligent, and varied accompaniment," and lauded Josu’s “brilliant concert-level capacity, full of phrasing and dynamics." This sumptuous seventy-seven minutes of music includes music by Lecuona, Liszt, and Saint-Saens, but for many, an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is an all-time favorite. The release features accompaniment for full barre and center.