Aranjuean Concert ( Spanish Concierto de Aranjuez ) - musical composition (recital for classical guitar and orchestra ) by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo . This is Rodrigo's most famous work, the success of which cemented his reputation as one of the most outstanding Spanish composers of the 20th century. Rodrigo wrote this Concert in Paris in the spring of 1939. The concert was first performed on November 9, 1940 in Barcelona by the Spanish guitarist Rehino Sainz de la Masa , to which Rodrigo dedicated his work [1] . The orchestra was conducted by Cesar Mendoza Lazal . The concert is not only the most popular composition of Rodrigo, but also one of the most famous works of classical music of the XX century. The name refers to the gardens of the royal palace in Aranjuez , where Rodrigo and his wife spent a honeymoon. Rodrigo included in the work the atmosphere of the end of the 18th century at the court of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII , however, the consciousness of what Rodrigo experienced in 1939 was also noticeable. Rodrigo and his wife remained silent for many years about the origin of the second part of the Concert, and therefore the most popular version was that Rodrigo wrote Adagio under the influence of the Guernica bombing in 1937. In her autobiography, Victoria, Rodrigo’s wife, reported that Adagio’s atmosphere was influenced by both her memories of her honeymoon in Aranjuez and Rodrigo’s difficult state of mind due to Victoria’s unsuccessful first pregnancy [2] .
Description of the work
The Aranjuean Concert is a typical three-part instrumental concert. When composing, Rodrigo faced the problem of combining a rather quiet sound of a guitar with the sound of a symphony orchestra. The composer coped with this task in such a way that the solo guitar never performs against the background of the entire orchestra, but only together with small groups of relatively soft-sounding instruments.
- 1. Allegro con spiritu
- The first movement in D major is written in classical sonata form and represents a movable fandango in the amount of 6/8.
- 2. Adagio
- The second part, thanks to which the Concert, in fact, gained its popularity, is written in B minor. The main theme in the performance of the English horn is an allusion to Saetu - the Andalusian paraliturgical deeply emotional chant performed during religious processions on Semana Santa ( Holy Week ) [3] [4] . Saeta is usually performed in an improvisational form by a solo singer or singer, standing on the balcony while the procession takes place below.
- 3. Allegro gentile
- Part 3 - fast Rondo in D major in the style of a court dance with a variable clock size (2/4 and 3/4).
Artists and influence
- Alexey Zimakov . Joaquin Rodrigo, having heard his work performed by Alexei Zimakov, said in the press that this is how he imagined the perfect sound of his concert. [5] .
- The concert was first recorded on a record (78 revolutions per minute) in 1947/1948 by guitarist Rehino Sainz de la Masa with the National Orchestra of Spain, conducted by Ataulfo Argenta [6]
- After this, Narsiso Yepes recorded two records (both also from the Archient) [7] - one mono (between 1953 and 1955) [8] and one stereo (1957) [9] .
- The first guitarist to record the Concert was Renata Tarrago (1958 or 1959), who preferred playing with fingertips rather than fingernails. The orchestra was conducted by Odon Alonso .
- At the request of Nicanor Sabaleta, Rodrigo made an arrangement for harp and orchestra (1974) [10] .
- Miles Davis, together with arranger Gil Evans, recorded Adagio from the Concert in the album “ Sketches of Spain ” (1960). Davis said: “This melody is so powerful that the softer you play it, the more powerful it turns out, and the more powerful you play it, the weaker it turns out” (“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 ”) [11] .
- Chick Koria used the beginning of Adagio as a prelude to his famous work, Spain.
- Modern Jazz Quartet made several recordings of the second part of the Concert.
- Paco De Lucia did not know how to read music before he was asked to play a concert (in 1991). He signed the names of the notes in the score and thus parsed his part. He also talks about striving for rhythmic accuracy, while classical guitarists played the Concerto with frequent rubato , and without knowing the score it was impossible for him to understand the rhythmic structure [12] .
- The Adagio from the Concerto was repeatedly performed by singers in various languages and in different interpretations (from classical to pop), for example, such as Richard Antoni , Jose Carreras , Massimo Ranieri , Claudio Villa , Delilah , Demis Roussos , Israeli singer Rita , etc.
Notes
- ↑ Coelho, Victor. The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar. - Cambridge University Press, 2003 .-- P. 188. - ISBN 0-521-00040-8 .
- ↑ BBC Radio 4, 20 Oct 2009, The Sound of Magnolias. Irma Kurtz investigates Spanish composer Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez. (Downloadable audio documentary)
- ↑ Gramophone. The world authority on classical music since 1923
- ↑ Wade, Graham (1985). Joaquín Rodrigo and the Concierto de Aranjuez. New York: Mayflower. ISBN 0-946896-15-1
- ↑ Encyclopedic Dictionary “Guitarists and Composers”
- ↑ Michael Macmeeken. Liner notes for CD, 'Concierto de Aranjuez: The Premier Recording.' . Archived February 11, 2013.
- ↑ The Spanish Legacy of Ataúlfo Argenta . Archived February 11, 2013.
- ↑ The World's Encyclopaedia of Recorded Music, Supplement III [Jan. 1953-Dec. 1955]
- ↑ Narciso Yepes and the Concierto de Aranjuez . Archived February 11, 2013.
- ↑ Ann Griffiths, "Zabaleta, Nicanor," in Stanley Sadie (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001)
- ↑ Shaw, Robert. Hand Made, Hand Played: The Art & Craft of Contemporary Guitar. - Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008. - P. 30. - ISBN 978-1-57990-787-7 .
- ↑ Concierto de Aranjuez on the official website of Paco de Lucia Archived January 25, 2013.