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Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

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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)

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 3 Apr 2016 09:06GMT

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  • Thu 31 Mar 2016 01:06GMT
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  • Sat 2 Apr 2016 19:32GMT
  • Sun 3 Apr 2016 09:06GMT

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