Rodrigo: Concierto De Aranjuez / Xuefei Yang

Xuefei Yang / Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Eiji Oue

Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez

Guitarist Xuefei Yang’s third recording for EMI Classics features two works with orchestra, Joaquín Rodrigo’s beloved Concierto de Aranjuez and the world premiere of a newly-composed concerto by Stephen Goss, coupled with solo works by Albéniz and Rodrigo. The exclusive iTunes bonus track is the Zapateado by Regino Sainz de la Maza, who was, coincidentally, the dedicatee of the Concierto de Aranjuez. Xuefei Yang, known to her friends as Fei, is a ground-breaking virtuoso who is currently forging an impressive, if unlikely, career on the world’s premiere stages and inspiring critical acclaim for her performances of wide-ranging repertoire. The New York Times wrote, “Yang demonstrates her feisty virtuosity, impeccable technique and sensitive musicianship in repertory ranging from Albéniz to arrangements of Western pop and Asian songs. Ms Yang seems a Spaniard at heart, her guitar singing as if she had grown up in the shaded courtyards of Andalusia.” Fei learned Rodrigo’s signature concerto at the age of 16. It is one of her calling cards and she performs it all over the world. In 2003 alone, she played the concerto’s second movement in over 50 concerts of a pop-meets-classical tour called Night of the Proms for a total audience of over 800,000 in stadiums across Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Following one performance of the concerto, The Scotsman wrote, “There is no question that [Yang] is a star in the making…her reading of [the Concierto de Aranjuez] was beautifully shaped and highly expressive capturing the emotional impact and quintessentially Spanish idioms of the music to perfection.” She recorded Rodrigo’s concerto in Barcelona with the same orchestra responsible for its world premiere in 1840, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya.

Price: $18.98