Archive
In the archive there are thousands of documents related to Joaquín Rodrigo, including photographs, CDs,press articles, comments, programs.
Joaquín Rodrigo in the world, today
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Joaquín Sorolla and Joaquín Rodrigo on RTVE |
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On Friday, May 3rd, Spanish TV dedicated a broadcast to the concert of Joaquín Rodrigo's music that took place at the Sorolla Museum in Madrid for the closing of the exhibition "Gardens of light". Consuelo Luca de Tena, director of the Museum spoke about the two Valencian artists, and violinist Agustín León Ara, guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, and the soprano Ana María Sánchez performed the composer's works. |
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News
Joaquín Rodrigo and Jacques Ibert
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In 1929, the young Joaquín Rodrigo began to make a name for himself among the French musical elite when his Cinco piezas infantiles was inserted on the program presented on March 28th by the Walter Straram Orchestra at the Theater of the Champs Elysees. The press reviews underlined the occasion: “(…) On Thursday, between Jacques Ibert's Escales, whichtook us on a most pleasant trip around the Mediterranean, and Debussy's La Mer, introduced us to a young Spanish composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, whose namewe should remember. His Cinco piezas infantiles which were performed todayare charming for their good humour, their great simplicity and preciseobservation. They take an honourable place in the musical literature thatthe best musicians following Schumann have dedicated to study the soul ofchildren, their games, and the awakening of their thoughts, and whichattains a culminating point in Bizet and Moussorgsky.
Totally unpretentious, Mr. Rodrigo's pieces have all the grace and naiveté that the subject requires, however there is a particular circumstance to beconsidered: the composer is blind and for him to write the orchestration he not only was confronted with the obstacles that all musicians must overcome but in addition with those inherent to his vision impairment and which are almost insurmountable, making his accomplishment a true “tour de force”. His orchestration is well executed and pleasant to hear, void of any banality, and is evidence of a mastery that many a sighted person would envy Rodrigo. It has been a long time since we have seen a beginner display such ease and assurance.(…)” Louis Aubert. Paris-Soir. April, 2, 1929
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 Program for the Walter Straram Orchestra concert on March 28, 1929 at the Theater of the Champs Elysees which included Joaquín Rodrigo’s Cinco piezas infantiles. |
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 A few years later, eighty four to be exact, the two composers, Ibert-French neoclassicism- and Rodrigo –neocasticismo (Spanish tradition) - coincided once again. It was on February 24th at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Belgium. On the program, again the French composer’s Escalas, followed by Concierto de Aranjuez in its version for harp, performed by Anneleen Lenaerts and the National Orchestra of Belgium, conducted by Stefan Blunier. A curious coincidence. |
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