Untitled - The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

greatest masters in Italy is performed
in the side galleries solely by girls,
of whom the eldest is not even
twenty years of age. Nothing is
more voluptuous nor more moving
than this music.”
It was for these performances that Vivaldi
produced the greatest body of his work,
including the Four Seasons and specialty
concertos like the current work. The
Concerto D major, RV.93 is believed to
date from about 1740, originally scored
for lute, mandolin or guitar. Today the
work is by far best known as a staple of
the classical guitar repertoire.
In the familiar three-movement form, the
concerto features outer movements in D
major, each with momentary modulations
to A major. Marked Allegro giusto
(moderately fast), the first movement is
a blithe showcase for the soloist, with
delightful interplay between the guitar
and orchestral strings.
Like the first movement, the centerpiece
Largo is in common time, also in D major.
At a point midway, a cryptic blend into
B minor offers phrases worthy of an
Italian arioso from the era. The closing
Allegro is metered in buoyant 12/8
time, lithe and elegant at every turn,
with dance-like accents and melodic
color in the solo line. Just one regret -
the concerto is over too soon.
Joaquin Rodrigo
Spanish composer
Born: November 22, 1901, Sagunto
Died: July 6, 1999, Madrid
Fantasia para un Gentilhombre for
Guitar and Orchestra
Villano y Ricercare: Adagietto -
Andante moderato
Españoleta y Fanfare de la
Caballeria de Nápoles:
Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio
Danza de la Hachas: Allegro con brio
Canario: Allegro ma non troppo
First and only Classics performance:
November 16, 1985, version for
flute featuring soloist James Galway,
conducted by Semnon Bychkov;
duration: 21 minutes
Joaquín Rodrigo received copious
awards and appointments during his
long and distinguished career. The
Manuel de Falla Chair was created
for him at Madrid University in 1947,
and he was honored by Spain with the
Cross of Alfonso X the Wise in 1953.
In France he was celebrated as an
Officier des Arts et des Lettres in 1960,
and in 1963 received the Cross of the
Légion d’honneur.
Blind from the age of three, Rodrigo
began his musical education very
early with piano lessons which quickly
revealed his exceptional gifts. Beyond
the rigors of his classical training,
Rodrigo’s music displays a strong
French connection, doubtless derived
from his advanced training in Paris
at the Sorbonne and at the Paris
Conservatoire, where he was a pupil
of Paul Dukas.
In addition to nearly sixty songs,
dozens of chamber works, two ballets
and several settings of incidental music,
Rodrigo composed twenty-nine pieces
for orchestra, from which his Concierto
de Aranjuez for guitar is best known.
Fantasia for a Gentleman was
composed in 1954 with a dedication
to Andrés Segovia, the Spanish master
of the classical guitar. (The great
Segovia appeared with the BPO here
at Kleinhans in 1959 and again in
1966.) Written in the manner of a
French homage (sometimes known as
a tombeau), the piece is crafted upon
original themes by the 17th century
Spanish guitarist and composer Gaspar
Sanz. For his part, Sanz was also an
ordained priest, author and educator,
who wrote Instrucción de música sobre
la guitarra española, the finest treatise
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