Other

BBC World Service Australasia

The Compass v2 Podcast

The Compass

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about society

Surprising stories from unusual places. With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about the environment and politics, culture and society.

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Compass: Soul Music: Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Factual

Joaquin Rodrigo - Composer

31/03/2016 GMT

Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Soul Music

BBC World Service - The Compass, Soul Music, Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

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

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. Nelício 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)

The Compass: Soul Music

A series of programmes about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Compass

Soul Music

Soul Music: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service