Manuel Ponce, the composer of Concierto del sur, is considered the founding father of 20th-century Mexican music.
Recording & Production
Gerald Garcia's China Sings! is a world premiere recording on this album, featuring a version for guitar and orchestra.
Composer Biography
Joaquín Rodrigo, composer of Concierto de Aranjuez, lost his sight completely by the age of seven due to an outbreak of diphtheria.
Performer Biography
Junhong Kuang, the guitarist on this album, was awarded the top prize in the classical guitar category of the prestigious ARD Music Competition in 2017, becoming the youngest prizewinner in its history.
Composition History
Manuel Ponce's Concierto del sur was written at the request of Andrés Segovia, a renowned classical guitarist, and nearly all of Ponce's guitar pieces were dedicated to him.
Compositional Technique
Gerald Garcia's China Sings! is a rhapsody inspired by two popular Chinese tunes, 'Dark Sky' and 'Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon', and features a novel guitar texture of cross-string trills.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Joaquín Rodrigo, the composer of Concierto de Aranjuez, envisioned his concerto as being performed by an 'imaginary instrument' with the wings of a harp, the heart of a grand piano, and the soul of a guitar.
You might also enjoy...
The Rodrigo Collection
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Entre olivares etc.
Vito Palumbo: Three Concertos
Poulenc: Piano Concerto, Organ Concerto & Stabat Mater
Dohnanyi / Balassa / Farkas / Hidas: Harp Concertos
Rodrigo: Complete Concertos for Guitar & Harp
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre; Concierto serenata
