RODRIGO: Piano Music, Vol. 1
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Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999) Piano Music 1 Throughout his long life Joaquin Rodrigo wrote more than two hundred compositions, creating a prolific variety of...
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Piano Music 1
Throughout his long life Joaquin Rodrigo
wrote more than two hundred compositions,
creating a prolific variety of orchestral pieces,
concertos, songs, and instrumental music for
guitar, piano, violin, cello, and other instruments,
now increasingly in demand and appreciated
world-wide. This recording presents some of the
finest examples of Rodrigo's piano works. The
composer was a virtuoso pianist who played many
recitals at various periods of his life, featuring
both his own compositions and representative
selections of Spanish keyboard masters from the
sixteenth century onwards. His formidable
memory and brilliant technique ensured that he
was soon established as an impressive performer
who also wrote for the piano with insight and
panache.
Joaquin Rodrigo was born on St Cecilia's
Day, 22nd November, 1901, in Sagunto,
Valencia. In 1905, an outbreak of diphtheria
impaired his vision and within a few years he lost
every vestige of sight. From the age of seven he
attended the School for the Blind in Valencia,
where, with his musical gifts becoming
increasingly apparent, he played the violin and
piano. Later he took composition lessons with
Francisco Antich Carbonell, renowned organist
and maestro at the local parish church. In the
autumn of 1927 the young composer travelled to
Paris, enrolling at the Ecole Normale de Musique.
His teacher, Paul Dukas, one of the masters of
early twentieth century French music, greatly
influenced Rodrigo, especially in aspects of
orchestration. In 1928 the French President
awarded Manuel de Falla the National Legion of
Honour. Rodrigo performed his own piano pieces
at the ceremony, thus extending his reputation as
composer and pianist.
Around the same time Rodrigo met Victoria
Kamhi, a young Jewish pianist from Istanbul, the
daughter of a businessman. Despite various
difficulties, financial and otherwise, they
eventually married in January 1933. But a year
later, hardship enforced separation, a dilemma
resolved only when Rodrigo was awarded a
prestigious Conde de Cartagena Scholarship,
enabling him to be reunited with his wife in Paris.
In 1936 disaster struck again when the Spanish
Civil War began and the Scholarship fund was no
longer available. Eventually Rodrigo and his wife
found refuge for eighteen months at the Institute
for the Blind in Freiburg, Germany. In 1938 he
visited Spain briefly to lecture and perform at the
Santander Summer School but, failing to obtain
suitable employment in his native land, was
compelled to live for another year in Paris. In
1939 Rodrigo completed the Concierto de
Aranjuez, a work which soon became
internationally famous.
Rodrigo returned to Spain at the beginning of
September 1939. Life was difficult, but with help
from colleagues, including Falla, Rodrigo was
offered various salaried appointments and after
years of deprivation, the tide began to turn with
the première in Barcelona of Concierto de
Aranjuez on 9th November, 1940. On 27th
January, 1941, Rodrigo's daughter, Cecilia, was
born. Rodrigo's reputation as a great Spanish
composer now began to gain international esteem.
A l'ombre de Torre Bermeja (In the Shadow
of the Crimson Tower) was written in tribute on
the death of the great Spanish pianist Ricardo
Vines (1875-1943), and first published in a
memorial album in Madrid. Rodrigo commented
that 'it was a kind of paraphrase of Albeniz's
work, of his first phase, entitled Torre Bermeja'.
Albeniz's music is reflected throughout in rapid
arpeggios and the tolling bell of the old tower.
Cuatro piezas para piano (Four Pieces for
piano), written between 1936 and 1938, evoke
moods of Spanish life from the animation of
dance to nostalgia for past glories. Caleseras is a
homage to Federico Chueca (1846-1908) who
composed forty zarzuelas (light operas) and
various lively waltzes, echoes of which can be
heard. The title refers to the calesa, the horsedrawn
carriage popular in early twentieth-century
Madrid. The rhythm and slightly off-beat melody
certainly evoke the trotting of horses. Fandango
del ventorrillo (Fandango of the Inn) may usefully
be compared in terms of brilliance and colour with
Rodrigo's guitar piece En los trigales (In the
Wheatfields).
Plegaria de la Infanta de Castilla (Prayer of
the Princess of Castile) opens with a sarabandelike
mood recalling Rodrigo's admiration for
Renaissance music. After a gentle beginning,
however, the work develops into a technically
demanding and passionate example of twentiethcentury
pianism. A letter from Joaquin Nin-
Culmell indicates that this composition possibly
represents a poignant prayer for peace during the
Spanish Civil War. Danza Valenciana provides
one of Rodrigo's rare references to the traditions
of his native Valencia, drawing inspiration from
the popular theme 'el u i el dos' (the one and the
two) in the manner of the Levantine jota, a circle
dance. The varied material includes two-part
writing, brilliant ornamental arpeggio patterns and
animated interchanges between bass and chords.
Pastoral, one of Rodrigo's apprenticeship
pieces, has been compared to the cancion style of
Mompou but also possesses a tender Mozartian or
Schubertian atmosphere. Rodrigo described the
work as 'written in terms of the 18th century
eclogue...inspired more or less by springtime,
which, as you know, has inspired composers to
write a great deal'.
Preludio de anoranza (Nostalgic Prelude) has
a special significance, being the last piano piece
Rodrigo ever wrote. Commissioned by the
Albeniz Foundation to commemorate the
centenary of the birth of Artur Rubinstein (1887-
1982), it was first performed in Madrid by Joaquin
Soriano on 21st March, 1988. The composition
evolves between three motifs, poignant arpeggio
patterns, a melodic passage counterpointed in the
bass with a downward scale and chordal
interludes. A short coda fades away into silence.
Berceuse de Printemps (Spring Lullaby),
written during Rodrigo's first spring in Paris
(1928), recalls childhood, musical boxes and
spring's gentleness rather than any rush of activity
or rejoicing after winter. Its companion, Berceuse
d'Automne, (Autumn Lullaby) (1923), is a sombre
piece involving the multiple repetition of a single
chord some seventy times. In 1957 Deux
Berceuses would become the symphonic tone
poem, Música para un jardin.
Another apprentice work, Bagatela (1926)
combines light dexterity and an abundance of
humour. Dedicated 'To my friends, Eduardo
Chavarri and Enrique Goma', the composition
represented a final retrospective gesture to
Rodrigo's Valencian years. Bagatela contains that
element of sardonic humour in its impetuous
rhythms and moods which Rodrigo never
relinquished, as well as a delight in his own
keyboard mastery.
Cuatro estampas andaluzas (Four Andalusian
Pictures) 1946/52), were written, as the composer
commented, 'under the sign of the Andalusian',
but do not feature 'the popular themes of that
region'. Here Rodrigo created his own melodies to
celebrate Spain's south. El vendedor de
chanquetes (The Whitebait Seller), is a lively
portrait of a street vendor offering chanquetes, a
kind of fried fish much loved in Malaga.
The mood changes in Crepúsculo sobre el
Guadalquivir (Twilight over the Guadalquivir
River) to evening in Seville, heralded by dark
recurrent patterns in the bass before the night life
enters in brilliant array. Seguidillas del diablo
(The Devil's Seguidillas), written at the request of
the Spanish dancer, Udaeta, enacts Rodrigo's
impressions of the satanic dance, a genre
spectacularly deployed by various composers
including Paganini and Liszt. Barquitos de Cadiz
(Little Boats of Cadiz), dedicated to the British
pianist, Harriet Cohen, begins with an Adagio,
evoking a sense of stillness at sea. The second
part, marked Allegretto, takes the form of the polo
gaditano, a popular song and dance from Cadiz.
Beginning with rolling arpeggios, this section
grows in intensity to a full storm, concluding with
an appropriately vigorous coda.
Following the death of his teacher Paul Dukas
(1865-1935), Rodrigo composed a homage to be
published in La revue musicale in 1936, along
with similar tributes by Falla, Messiaen, and
others. The result was Sonada de adios (Sounding
of Farewell), written in Salzburg, Austria. The
composer describes this work as 'written on a type
of pedal...that is to say an ostinato, well
harmonised with a good melody...It is like a
tolling of bells...and upon this basis are founded
the two short themes'. Rodrigo takes care to
indicate that Sonada de adios is indeed Sonada, a
'sounding', and therefore not a Sonata. The
unusual key of A flat minor creates fascinating
sonorities.
Throughout 1931 Rodrigo wrote only one
work, Serenata espanola (Spanish Serenade),
dedicated to the pianist, Jose Iturbi. Here he
depicts a vivid Spanish landscape, using
contrasting sections to express the vitality of
Iberia. Beginning with a virtuosic show of
arpeggios, the main theme enters. Another mood
follows, indicated as marcato, with echoes of
Falla's Ritual Fire Dance. These two elements
then move closer together, the main theme
pursued by the marcato motif, passing through
several modulations. A brief coda, reminiscent of
Albeniz, presents a quieter ending, before
lightning repeated notes end the work.
Air de ballet sur le nom d'une jeune fille
(Ballet Theme on a Young Girl's Name), was
composed during Rodrigo's student period
(1929/1930). In minuet and trio form, the work
begins with thirteen notes in a tone row spelling
out the name of Victoria Kamhi, his future wife.
The piece is characterised by the contrasts
between this melodic phrase in various patterns
and intermittent dissonances in the bass which
agitate the texture. A number of embellishments
as the work progresses propel the music towards a
greater tonal complexity. In the trio, there are new
features such as drone basses and altered rhythms.
Zarabanda lejana (Distant Sarabande),
dedicated 'To the vihuela of Luis Milan', was
written in 1926, before Rodrigo went to Paris. The
work achieved success as the composer's first
guitar piece, as a piano solo, and also for string
orchestra. The keyboard's resources bring out the
sensitive distribution of chordal patterns, its
evocative sonorities and, above all, the superb
ornamentation. The sarabande unites the dignity
of the dance and the subtlety of Rodrigo's
twentieth-century harmonies.
Finally, Cinco piezas del siglo XVI (Five
Pieces of the Sixteenth Century), show Rodrigo's
love for music of the Spanish Golden Age. The
set begins with Diferencias sobre 'El Canto del
Caballero' (Variations on 'The Knight's Song')
by Antonio de Cabezon (c.1510-1566), composer
and organist, who, like Rodrigo, was blind from
childhood. Cabezon's variations involve elegant
contrapuntal textures and many dramatic
moments. The theme, stated in the opening eight
bars, is subjected in the first variation to
ornamentation in the lower parts while the treble
retains the knight's song. At the end, Rodrigo
freely introduces double octaves in a Busoni-like
flourish. The second variation shifts the modified
melody to the tenor, the third puts the theme in
the alto, accompanied by embellishment, while
the last section is characterized by well-marked
octaves in an exciting fortissimo finale.
In the 1930s, through his friendship with the
guitarist and musicologist, Emilio Pujol (1886-
1980), Rodrigo was attracted by the discovery of
the vihuela, a sixteenth-century Spanish guitar,
and its tablature printed in exquisite collections
from the royal courts. Rodrigo brought his
audiences into touch with these little masterpieces
by piano transcriptions. Two Pavanas by Luis
Milan from the Valencian court (1535/1536), and
one from Enriquez de Valderrabano, published in
1547 in Valladolid, present enchanting melodic
lines and the rhythmic beauty of this dance.
Alonso Mudarra's Fantasia que contrahace la
harpa de Ludovico (Fantasia in the style of
Ludovico's Harp) uses remarkably sophisticated
dissonant techniques and the original publication
(Seville, 1546) provides advice to the player
printed below the discordant passages that 'from
here to the end there are some false notes; when
played well they do not sound bad'.
Graham Wade
A l’ombre de Torre Bermeja (In the Shadow of the Crimson Tower) (more info)
-
A l’ombre de Torre Bermeja (In the Shadow of the Crimson Tower) - 5:03
4 Piano Pieces (more info)
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Caleseras (Homenaje a Chueca) - 1:56
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Fandango del ventorrillo (Fandango of the Inn) - 1:38
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Plegaria de la Infanta de Castilla (Prayer of the Princess of Castile) - 5:51
-
Danza valenciana (Valencian Dance) - 2:52
Pastoral (more info)
-
Pastoral - 2:04
Preludio de anoranza (Nostalgic Prelude) (more info)
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Preludio de anoranza (Nostalgic Prelude) - 3:30
2 Berceuses (2 Lullabies) (more info)
-
Berceuse de Printemps (Spring Lullaby) - 2:00
-
Berceuses d'Automne (Autumn Lullaby) - 2:47
Bagatela (Bagatelle) (more info)
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Bagatela (Bagatelle) - 1:52
4 Estampas andaluzas (4 Andalusian Pictures) (more info)
-
El vendedor de chanquetes (The Whitebait Seller) - 1:49
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Crepusculo sobre el Guadalquivir (Twilight Over the Guadalquivir River) - 3:34
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Seguidillas del diablo (The Devil’s Seguidillas) - 3:55
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Barquitos de Cadiz (Little Boats of Cadiz) - 5:01
Sonada de adios (Sounding of Farewell) (more info)
-
Sonada de adios (Sounding of Farewell) - 3:57
Serenata espanola (Spanish Serenade) (more info)
-
Serenata espanola (Spanish Serenade) - 5:06
Air de ballet sur le nom d'une jeune fille (Ballet Theme on a Young Girl’s Name) (more info)
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Air de ballet sur le nom d'une jeune fille (Ballet Theme on a Young Girl’s Name) - 3:08
Zarabanda lejana (Distant Sarabande) (more info)
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Zarabanda lejana (Distant Sarabande) - 2:54
5 Piezas del siglo XVI (5 Pieces of the 16th Century) (more info)
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I. Diferencias sobre 'El Canto del Caballero’ (Antonio de Cabezon) (Variations on ‘The Knight’s Song’) - 3:05
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II. Pavana (Luis de Milan) - 1:37
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III. Pavana (Luis de Milan) - 1:07
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IV. Pavana (Enriquez de Valderrabano) - 3:12
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V. Fantasia que contrahace la harpa de Ludovico (Alonso Mudarra) (Fantasia in the Style of Ludovico’s Harp) - 1:30
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