Concierto de Aranjuez – Joaquín Rodrigo (Cañizares)
“El Jaleo“ (1882)
John Singer Sargent
__________
not much is heard from Spain during
Western music’s Golden Ages, Baroque,
Classical, Romantic, Impressionist,
now even Pop’s, Rock’s, Punk’s, Rap’s,
Post-, in all their incarnations, Modern’s
nor of Art, for that matter, where most
of its bright lights seem to have fled
to Paris for its freedom and inspiration
and where other nationalities, rather,
sang or painted their praises more
successfully – think of “Carmen”, for
instance, of France’s Georges Bizet,
or, of course, Picasso
but listen to this wonderful concerto
of Joaquín Rodrigo, the Concierto de
Aranjuez, which nearly single-handedly
should allow compatriots to claim their
place among the very cherished elite
like Grieg did for Finland, for Poland,
incidentally, found his fame in Paris,
perhaps because France had only
recently then become a republic, if
you’ll remember, maybe
the Concierto de Aranjuez is for guitar
and orchestra, an unlikely, though not
at all unwelcome, prime position among
a swell of other musicians, especially
after listening to bassoons, for example,
take in front of them centre stage
extraordinary gifts, deft fingers flying,
fashioning frets into filigree, latticework,
lacework, of irresistible artistry, does the
coveted honours, along with an impeccable
Simon Rattle wielding a brilliant baton,
while the Berliner Philharmoniker, however
improbably, make up the rest of this dream
combination
this is one you won’t want to miss, I utterly,
and unreservedly, promise
enjoy it
Richard
psst: remarkably, Rodrigo, blind from the
age of three, having lost his sight to
diphtheria, wrote all of his music in
Braille, for it to be transcribed later
to the question, how would you like
to die – he lived to be ninety-seven –
he answered, I think, cleverly, and
delightfully enigmatically, under no
circumstances
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