Concierto de Aranjuez

File:Concierto aranjuez .jpg

The Concierto de Aranjuez is probably Joaquín Rodrigo's best-known work, its success establishing his reputation as one of the foremost post-war Spanish composers. Written in early 1939, in Paris, amid the tensions of the pending war, it was the first work he had written for guitar and orchestra. The instrumentation is unique: rarely does the guitar face the forces of a full orchestra. However, the guitar is never overwhelmed, remaining the solo instrument throughout.

This concerto is in three movements, Allegro con spirito, Adagio and Allegro gentile. The second movement provided thematic material for another composition, Aranjuez, Mon Amour. The third movement is in mixed metre, alternating between 2/4 and 3/4.

The Concierto de Aranjuez was inspired by and written for the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez, the spring resort (or palace) and gardens originally built by Philip II in the last half of the 16^th century, and later rebuilt in the middle of the 18^th century by Ferdinand VI. The work attempts to transport the listener to the sounds of nature in both another place and time.

According to the composer, the first movement is "animated by a rhythmic spirit and vigour without either of the two themes... interrupting its relentless pace", the second movement "represents a dialogue between guitar and solo instruments (cor anglais, bassoon, oboe, horn etc)", and the last movement "recalls a courtly dance in which the combination of duple and triple time maintains a taut tempo right to the closing bar". He described the concerto itself as capturing "the fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds and the gushing of fountains" in the gardens of Aranjuez.

Some say that the second movement was inspired by the bombing of Guernica which happened in 1937. In her autobiography, the composer's wife Victoria maintains that it was an evocation of the happy days of their honeymoon, and a response to Rodrigo's devastation at the miscarriage of their first baby.

Rodrigo, having been blind since age three, was a pianist and did not play the guitar, but yet he still captured the spirit of diversity of the guitar in Spain.

A number of musicians have since reinterpreted the work, including Miles Davis. On the album Sketches of Spain, Davis testifies: "That melody is so strong that the softer you play it, the stronger it gets, and the stronger you play it, the weaker it gets".

The Adagio is the most famous, and most recognizable part of the piece, and used in numerous movies, television shows, and commercials.

According to a research by the Spanish General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE) in July 2005, the Concierto de Aranjuez is the most beloved Spanish composition in Japan.

Joaquín Rodrigo and his wife Victoria are buried in the cemetery at Aranjuez.

Violinist Ikuko Kawai's version, Aranjuez, is an upbeat, faster update to the work. Figure skater Michelle Kwan won her fifth World Championship skating to the composition, popularizing the version.

Premiere

• 9 November 1940
• Regino Sainz de la Maza, Orquesta Filarmónica de Barcelona
• Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona
• Conductor César Mendoza Lasalle

Source

Preface to the Ernst Eulenburg edition of the work, EE6785

External links

• Joaquin Rodrigo website (ENGLISH)
• Joaquin Rodrigo website (SPANISH)
• Robert Peter Antecki's Rodrigo site
• Barbara Heninger's program notes @ Barbwired.com
• http://www.sgae.es/viewnot/cont.inm?instanceId=1090&tipoId=38 Press release of SGAE about the preference of the Japanese to the Concierto de Aranjuez (SPANISH)