'Concierto de Aranjuez'

The 'Adagio' from Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo is perhaps the most famous guitar piece of all time. The melancholic theme by the blind Spanish composer touches you. After the first few notes of the sensitive melody, you immediately feel like being in the warmth of Spain. Izhar Elias and Fernando Cordas will play a spirited programme full of picturesque and warm-blooded pieces around this world famous piece.

It is the first time that a guitarist has played this piece. .

In the first half of the concert Izhar and Fernando take you to the Vienna of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Therefore the stage is filled with guitars from the time of the Viennese Classics. Even though Mozart and Beethoven themselves hardly wrote any music for the guitar, their pieces were certainly played on the guitar. Izhar and Fernando like to show how that sounded, with guitar versions written by Beethoven's contemporaries. Fernando himself makes a contribution with his guitar arrangement of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13, D 664.

Izhar Elias

Izhar Elias you may know from the Koningsdagconcert 2016 when he was featured live on television with Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Izhar Elias is one of the most versatile Dutch guitarists. Just as easily he takes you to the world of early music with his baroque guitar, and then with the modern guitar he brings the sizzling of Spain to life. What does he find so attractive about the guitar? "It is such a sensitive instrument, the sound touched me immediately. Moreover, the instrument is flexible in all kinds of styles. Just like the piano, you can play the melody and the accompaniment simultaneously, and it is also a very rhythmic instrument. All these characteristics can be heard in this duo programme with Fernando Cordas.

. Izhar Elias about Fernando Cordas :
"Fernando appeared to be a lover of the nineteenth century guitar just as I am. Moreover, Fernando always thinks and plays from the music and never from the technique. Our basic attitude is the same. From that a beautiful friendship arose."
(Read the interview with Izhar Elias.)

Fernando Cordas

Concierto de Aranjuez. Since then he has played with all the major orchestras. Fernando Cordas is also enthusiastically researching the history of the guitar in the nineteenth century. Since September 2014, Cordas has been a teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague.

Youtube Clip

Belguistic guitarist Izhar Elias as a soloist with the Adagio from 'Concierto de Aranjuez' by Joaquin Rodrigo.

Programme

Enrique Granados (1867-1916)

Valses Poeticos

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

I. Melodioso
II. Tempo de Valse noble
III. Tempo de Valse lente
VI. Allegro umoristico
V. Allegretto
VI. Quasi ad libitum
VII. Vivo
VIII. Presto

Granados went down in history as the 'Spanish Chopin'. Just like Chopin, Granados wrote a lot of piano music, including this collection of Valses Poeticos. Izhar and Fernando show that these waltzes can be played on two guitars as well as on the piano, to conclude this concert.

Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)

Capricho Árabe

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

null Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)

Aranjuez ma pensée

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo drew his inspiration for Concierto de Aranjuez while strolling through the gardens of the Palace of Aranjuez. The palace was once the seat of the Spanish kings of the 18th and 19th centuries. Rodrigo captured something of the palace's atmosphere in the famous 'Adagio'.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Overture 'La clemenza di Tito' (arr.)

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

Adapted by Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)

Asturias

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Bij het horen van de eerste klanken van 'Asturias' denk je direct aan Spanje. Hoewel het stuk vaak op gitaar wordt uitgevoerd, schreef Albéniz Asturias oorspronkelijk voor piano.

Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827)

uit: Pianosonate nr. 12 in As, op. 26 (arr.)

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

I. Andante varié
IV. Rondo

Bewerking door Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

uit: Pianosonate nr. 13, D. 664 (arr.)

Fernando Cordas (Guitar)

Izhar Elias (Guitar)

II. Andante
III. Allegro

Voor Fernando Cordas en Izhar Elias kent de gitaarmuziek van de negentiende eeuw nauwelijks geheimen meer. Al zijn opgedane ervaringen heeft Fernando losgelaten op deze fijnzinnige gitaarversie van Schuberts Dertiende Pianosonate.

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