Joaquín Rodrigo - Chamber Music with Violin (Eva León)

Information

Composer: Joaquín Rodrigo

• Sonata pimpante
• Set cançons valencianes
• Capriccio (Ofrenda a Sarasate)
• Serenata al alba del día
• Dos esbozos
• Rumaniana

Eva León, violin

Olga Vinokur, piano

Virginia Luque, guitar

Date: 2016

Label: Naxos

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Review

The Spanish master composer Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999) is universally known and admired for his "Concierto de Aranquez," most deservedly so. But during his long lifetime he wrote a good deal else, and we can be thankful to Naxos for releasing a good bit of it. Today we have the latest, Chamber Music with Violin (Naxos 8.572648), which showcases the extroverted Eva Leon on violin, in one unaccompanied solo work, one work for violin and guitar (Virginia Luque) and four works for violin and piano (Olga Vinokur). The  music covers a good span of Rodrigo's career, from 1923 to 1982.

Like "Aranquez," these pieces combine Rodrigo's strong melodic sensibilities with Spanish folk flavors and a sort of Spanish impressionist horizon, but they do so in ways more suited to the intimate chamber setting.

The works stand out in their own way as paradigmatic Rodrigo.

"Sonata pimpante" (1966) has a sparkling palette of cascading piano and exuberant violin in an unforgettable mix. "Set cancons valencianes" (1982) is steeped in Spanish folk roots with seven movements that captivate. The "Capriccio (Ofrenda a Sarasate)" (1944) has heroic unaccompanied fireworks unencumbered by the constraints of counterlines from chamber accompaniments.

The final three works continue the melodic evocations and folk strains, with guitar accompaniment on "Serenata al alba del dia" (1982); and a return to the piano as second instrument on the short but striking works "Dos esbozos" (1923) and "Rumaniana" (1943).

We are left after hearing this program with the distinct impression that Rodrigo was no one-trick pony, but rather a thorough craftsman and superb lyric Spanish voice throughout his career. These pieces are without fail miniature gems from a sure master of his own very original modern Spanish style.

Anyone who gravitates towards the "Spanish tinge" will find in this CD a delightful mix of memorable chamber sounds. Highly recommended.

— Grego Applegate Edwards

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Joaquín Rodrigo (22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999) was a Spanish composer. Despite losing his sight at age three, he pursued music from childhood and later studied with Paul Dukas and Manuel de Falla. In 1940 he gained international acclaim with his Concierto de Aranjuez, which established him as Spain's leading post-Civil War composer. Rodrigo served as adviser for national radio and held the Manuel de Falla Chair at the Complutense University of Madrid. Though celebrated for his guitar works, he also composed concerti for various instruments, as well as an opera, ballet, piano pieces, and numerous songs.

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Eva León is a Spanish violinist from Las Palmas, Canary Islands. She trained in Barcelona, Salzburg, London and the U.S., earning a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. León has won major Spanish and international violin competitions, including top prize at the Michaelangelo Abbado Competition, and made her Carnegie Hall debut after winning the Artists International Debut Prize. She has toured globally, performing with numerous orchestras across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. León has recorded three Naxos CDs and appeared on major TV and radio networks. She currently lives in New York City.

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