Joaquín Rodrigo

Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre was born on 22 November 1901 in Spain, trained as a virtuoso pianist, and built a career as a composer across nearly the entire twentieth century. The Concierto de Aranjuez became a cornerstone of the classical guitar repertoire, the work that planted his name permanently in the canon. He composed steadily for decades after, but nothing else carried the same weight. In 1991, he was named 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez. He died on 6 July 1999, having outlived most of his contemporaries and watched his single most famous work become bigger than the man who made it.