Rodrigo: Concierto Serenata / Concierto De Aranjuez (Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 9)

Featuring

Argeo Quadri
Gwyneth Wentink
Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Joaquín Rodrigo

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Composition History

Joaquín Rodrigo completed his internationally famous Concierto de Aranjuez during a period of great personal tribulation, including war and poverty.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For the premiere of his Concierto de Aranjuez, Joaquín Rodrigo envisioned an 'imaginary instrument' combining the 'wings of the harp, the heart of the grand piano and the soul of the guitar'.

Composer Biography

During the Spanish Civil War and World War II, Joaquín Rodrigo and his wife faced significant hardship, including living in a refuge and experiencing a miscarriage due to exhaustion and poverty.

Composer Biography

Joaquín Rodrigo, the composer, lost his sight completely within a few years after an outbreak of diphtheria in 1905, when he was four years old.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Joaquín Rodrigo was drawn to composing for the harp due to its 'joyful sonorities and affinity for diatonic music,' which he associated with clarity and simplicity.

Performer Biography

Gwyneth Wentink, the harpist on this album, gave her first harp lesson at age five and performed for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at age ten.

Cultural Impact

The Concierto de Aranjuez, originally for guitar, became the most celebrated guitar work of the 20th century and has been used in ballets, films, jazz, and popular arrangements.