Concierto de Aranjuez

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Monument to the Concierto de Aranjuez in the city of Aranjuez

The Concierto de Aranjuez is a solo concert for guitar and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999). It was composed in Paris in spring 1939 and premiered in Barcelona on November 9, 1940 . It is not only by far the most popular work by Rodrigo, but also one of the most famous pieces of classical music of the 20th century.

Work description

Outwardly, the concert has the classical concert form in three movements . When composing, Rodrigo was faced with the problem of integrating the guitar, which as a solo instrument is far too quiet compared to a symphony orchestra , in a balanced harmony with the orchestra. Rodrigo achieved this by never having the guitar play with the full orchestra at the same time, but largely only with small groups of quieter instruments.

1. Allegro con spirito
The first movement ( D major ) in the classic sonata form is a lively fandango in 6/8 time, which is determined by sweeping changes in accent.
2. Adagio
The 2nd and most popular movement of the concerto is a slow, plaintive piece in B minor . The main melody of the English horn is a reflection of Saeta , the action singing during the annual Andalusian procession in the Semana Santa ( Easter ).
3. Allegro gentile
A cheerful Rondo movement in B major in the style of a courtly dance, which in turn lives from irregular changes in time and rhythm, ends the work.

history

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez

Rodrigo composed the Concierto de Aranjuez at the suggestion of his friend, the guitarist Regino Sáinz de la Maza (1896–1981), who also played the solo part in the premiere.

Rodrigo describes in the work the gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez south of Madrid , the spring residence of the Spanish kings. For Rodrigo, Aranjuez embodied an epoch of history he valued: the reign of the last Spanish rulers before Napoléon Bonaparte .

The composer felt very attached to the palace: he often went for a walk in the gardens with his future wife. In the second movement of the work, Joaquín Rodrigo described his feelings around the most drastic experience in his life: the stillbirth of his firstborn son and the associated pain, infinite grief, anger, letting go and the plea to God that he may his beloved wife Let Victoria (Vicky) live. Victoria was Joaquín Rodrigo's "eyesight"; he himself was blind in 1906 as a result of a diphtheria epidemic in his native Sagunto . A homage to Joaquín Rodrigo on the occasion of his 90th birthday can be seen in the short film Concierto de Aranjuez ( Shadows and Light ) by Larry Weinstein (1993).

César de Mendoza Lassalle conducted the world premiere on November 9, 1940 at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona with the Orquesta Filharmónica de Barcelona.

effect

The Concierto de Aranjuez is considered the best known and most popular work of Rodrigo. In 1956 it was recorded for the first time with Narciso Yepes . The flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía reinterpreted the concert in 1991 together with the Orquesta de Cadaqués under the direction of Edmon Colomer . Paco de Lucía enriched the work with various improvisations . The composer Joaquín Rodrigo found that Paco de Lucía's interpretation was the most brilliant of the hitherto available. Rodrigo also created an arrangement for harp and orchestra.

The work has not only been interpreted by countless classical orchestras, but has also become popular through numerous arrangements, for example by Miles Davis on the 1959 album Sketches of Spain , the clarinetist Jean-Christian Michel and with Laurindo Almeida from the Modern Jazz Quartet . In 1975 Jim Hall (jazz guitar) released a famous version (19 minutes) with Paul Desmond (alto saxophone) and Chet Baker (trumpet) on his LP Concierto. Experimental guitarist Buckethead paid tribute to both Miles Davis and Rodrigo on his 2002 album Electric Tears with his version of the adagio called Sketches of Spain .

Under the title Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto de Aranjuez (Theme from 2nd Movement) , the British easy-listening bandleader Geoff Love - under his pseudonym Manuel and the Music of the Mountains - made the theme of the second movement a number three hit in 1976 the British single charts . The successful pop singer Sophie Zelmani published an "Aranjuez" version of her title So Long in 2005 , in which she quotes Rodrigo ( A Decade of Dreams, 1995-2005). The second movement is also voiced in a scene from the film Brassed Off . The guitarist Carlos Santana released a version on his album Santana Brothers in 1994 under the title En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor. When Sharon Isbin recorded the Adagio , the electric guitarist Steve Morse began improvising after a while. As early as 1967 Richard Anthony had published a 4:50 minute French-language vocal version of the Adagios under the title Aranjuez, mon amour , written by Guy Bontempelli , which was later recorded by Nana Mouskouri , Amália Rodrigues and Jean-François Maurice . The Lebanese singer Fairuz also used the melody of the Adagio for her song Li Beirut , published in 1987, about the Lebanese civil war.

When Rodrigo was raised to the hereditary Spanish nobility by King Juan Carlos I in 1991, he received the title of Marqués de los Jardines de Aranjuez based on his composition .

literature

  • Charles Hoffer: Music Listening Today . Cengage Learning 2011, ISBN 978-0-495-91614-7 , pp. 27–30 ( excerpt from Google book search)
  • Simon P. Keefe: The Cambridge Companion to the Concerto . Cambridge University Press 2005, ISBN 0-521-83483-X , p. 156 ( excerpt in Google book search)
  • Graham Wade: Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Mayflower Enterprises, London 1985.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Concierto de Aranjuez in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  2. ^ Poster and program of the premiere (with the sentence names Allegro ma non troppo - Largo - Allegro [!])
  3. ↑ Peter Päffgen: Joaquín Rodrigo: 85 years. In: Guitar & Laute 8, 1986, 6, p. 56 f .; here: p. 57
  4. ↑ Anthony's version from the INA holdings
  5. ↑ Emanuela Barbieri: È vero che la mitica cantante lebanese Fairuz ha rubato la sua musica? . Arab Press, March 3, 2017 (Italian)
  6. ↑ Li Beirut on discogs.com (accessed April 23, 2019)