Main content

Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Episode 1 of 3

The passion and emotional impact of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar.

Written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939, the Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar classic. It was written amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and in circumstances of poverty and personal tragedy. Soul Music explores how the piece touches and changes people's lives.

The composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigo explains how the blind composer was inspired by the fountains and gardens of the palace of Aranjuez. Nel铆cio Faria de Sales recounts an unforgettable performance deep inside one of Brazil's largest caves, while David B Katague remembers how the piece got him through a difficult period of separation from his family in the Philippines.

Guitarist Craig Ogden explains the magic of the piece for a performer, and actor Simon Callow recalls how hearing the piece was a formative experience for him during his schooldays, when it turned rural Berkshire into a piece of Spain.

(Photo: Blind Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo (1901 - 1999) playing the piano at his home in Madrid. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Sun 3 Apr 2016 09:06GMT

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from The Compass

Broadcasts

  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 01:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 02:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 03:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 04:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 06:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 14:06GMT
  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 21:06GMT
  • Sat 2 Apr 2016 02:32GMT
  • Sat 2 Apr 2016 19:32GMT
  • Sun 3 Apr 2016 09:06GMT

Featured in...

The Documentary Podcast

The Documentary Podcast

Hear more documentaries from the 成人快手 World Service

Podcast