His concertante compositions aside, Rodrigo wrote some two dozen other works for solo guitar. Amongst these, the
Elogio de la guitarra, composed in 1971, is a remarkable testament to the breadth and depth of Rodrigo’s understanding of Spain’s national instrument. This Ode (or Tribute) to the guitar is a substantial work in the manner of a sonata and demands a formidable technique from the performer. It seems to have been originally conceived as a work for guitar and orchestra by the Italian Composer, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, reflecting facets of the guitar and, naturally, also of Spain itself: nobility, church polyphony and, of course, the dance. Unfulfilled at his death, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s idea was proposed to Rodrigo by the guitarist, and eventual dedicatee, Angelo Gilardino. Rodrigo kept to the original plan and title, but decided against including orchestral accompaniment or explicit movement titles. The composer himself wrote of the piece, ‘My intention was to demand a precise and infallible technique of the guitarist, as well as a profound sensitivity to the framework and thematics of the music. I have composed my ‘challenge’ to the guitarist…’—and a challenge it most certainly is. The opening sonata form movement expresses the nobility of the guitar in its use of grand chordal movement, while its successor is described by Rodrigo as evoking an ‘ancient Castilian cathedral’. The final movement makes what Rodrigo’s wife described as ‘diabolical requirements’ on the player and dances on to a dramatic and thrilling climax—a suitable homage to the instrument for which the composer helped create a new golden age.
from notes by M Ross © 2011