Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar concerto, was composed by blind Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo in 1939. It is one of the most popular concertos of all time, thanks to the extraordinary beauty of its central Adagio movement, which is considered one of the best adagios in the word.
According to a pervasive myth, Rodrigo wrote this concerto, especially adagio movement, after his wife miscarried their first child, But Rodrigo himself said about his concerto:
” The Concierto de Aranjuez is named after the famous royal site on the shore of the River Tagus, not far from Madrid, along the road to Andalusia, and some perceive Goya’s shadow in the notes of its music, full of melancholic emotion. Its music seems to bring to life the essence of an eighteenth-century court, where aristocratic distinction blends with popular culture. In its melody the perfume of magnolias lingers, the singing of birds and the gushing of fountains.”
He also said about how he composed it:
“If the adagio and the final allegro transported me as if by inspiration. . . . I came upon the first movement by way of reflection, calculation, and willpower. This was the last of the three to be written, so I ended the work where it actually began. For that I had no more awareness than that I was just writing a movement, the first.”
When this concerto was used in the 1996 film Brassed Off, It became more widespread and his second movement has been arranged for everything from mouth organ to brass band.
Download Concierto De Aranjuez Adagio sheet music
Here, in the video, You can listen this beautiful piece of classical music for guitar and orchestra. The guitarist “Pepe Romero” is playing it beautifully with the Spanish conductor “Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos”.
Movements:
1- Allegro con spirito
2- Adagio 7:25
3- Allegro gentile 18:57
