Joaquín Rodrigo - The Works of 1982. Part I
( English/Español) Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Throughout the history of music there are a number of examples of composers who created remarkable works in their last years. Three immediately come to mind: Claudio Monteverdi (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Giuseppe Verdi (Quattro pezzi sacri) and Ralph Vaughan Williams (the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies). To these we may add, I believe, the name of Joaquín Rodrigo, who in his eighty-first year, 1982, composed five significant works (three of them of outstanding quality). They are: Set cançons valencianes , a suite for violin and piano; Palillos y panderetas , a short orchestral suite written in homage to Madrid; Serenata al alba del día , for flute or violin and guitar; Concierto para una fiesta , for guitar and orchestra, the last of the composer’s eleven concertos; and Cántico de San Francisco de Asís , a large-scale work for chorus and orchestra. These works, for solo instruments, orchestra, and large choir and orchestra res...