Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre (Pepe Romero)

Information

Composer: Joaquín Rodrigo

• Concierto de Aranjuez
• Fantasía para un gentilhombre
• Cançoneta, for violin & string orchestra
• Invocación y Danza
• Tres pequeñas piezas

Pepe Romero, guitar

Agustin Leon Ara, violin

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Neville Marriner, conductor

Date: 1994

Label: Philips

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Review

Classics from their premieres, Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un gentilhombre have had many superlative recordings over the years, from Segovia to Bream and Williams, and this 1994 recording by Pepe Romero can stand with all but the very best of them. Romero's agile technique, alert rhythms, and full, ringing tone make him an ideal performer of this music, bringing out Rodrigo's sprightly tempos and singing melodies with effortless beauty and grace. Accompanied by the always elegant Neville Marriner leading the ever polished Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, these performances have wonderful lightness without sacrificing the soulful depths of the Concierto's central Adagio. Also included here are three less well-known works by Rodrigo: his short but stylish Cançoneta for violin and string orchestra played by violinist Augustín Leon Ara, plus two works for solo guitar played by Romero: the slyly sensual Invocation et danse and the lovely and evocative Trois petites pièces. The performances are captured in clean, bright sound that will please fans of the works.

— James Leonard

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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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Pepe Romero (born 8 March 1944 in Málaga) is a Spanish guitarist. Trained exclusively by his father, the legendary Celedonio Romero, he debuted at age seven and later moved with his family to the United States, becoming part of the famed ensemble The Romeros. As a soloist, he has performed with major orchestras worldwide and appeared at prominent international festivals. Romero has recorded over 60 albums, earned numerous awards, and inspired many composers, such as Joaquín Rodrigo and Federico Moreno Tórroba to write works for him. He has also held teaching positions at several leading American universities.

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