Even though Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was blind from the age of three he excelled as a composer, lecturer, and pedagogue and was awarded Spain’s highest award for composition, the Premio Nacional de Música, in 1983. Today, Rodrigo is regarded as one of the most important composers of his country, carrying on the traditions established by Falla, Albéniz, and Turina.

His music, mostly influenced by the works of the Spanish nationalist composers and partly styled by French music (particularly that of his teacher Paul Dukas), has a cosmopolitan quality with melodies, harmonies, and rhythmic patterns following a broad neo-classical style.

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Rodrigo moved to Paris, where in the winter of 1939 he composed his most successful work, the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra. The unprecedented success of this work prompted Rodrigo to write concertos for other instruments including piano, violin, cello, and harp.

The Concierto de Aranjuez premiered on November 9, 1940, in Barcelona, and another performance followed the next month in Madrid. It is a mature work of astonishing balance which for its time it explored new fields of harmony and rhythm and opened up new possibilities for the guitar as orchestral solo instrument.