Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez

Experience a lively evening of South American and Spanish music led by charismatic conductor Giancarlo Guerrero in his Orchestra Hall debut. Hear popular works by Ginastera, Chabrier, Piazzolla and the most-beloved of all guitar concertos, Rodrigo’s moving Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by virtuoso Pablo Sáinz Villegas, known as “the soul of the Spanish guitar.” Pablo Sáinz Villegas Praised as “the soul of the Spanish guitar”, Pablo Sáinz Villegas has become a worldwide sensation known as this generation’s great guitarist. With his “virtuosic playing characterized by irresistible exuberance” as described by The New York Times, his interpretations conjure the passion, playfulness, and drama of Rioja, his homeland’s rich musical heritage. He is known for his passionate, emotive and open-hearted playing, whether he is performing at intimate recital halls, or playing with beloved tenor, Plácido Domingo, to an audience of over 85,000 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, where maestro Domingo hailed him as “the master of the guitar”. Sáinz Villegas wrapped up a thriving season, performing on a floating stage on the Amazon River with Plácido Domingo, which was live streamed worldwide to millions. Additionally, he gave the world premiere of Rounds, the first composition for guitar by five-time Academy Award-winner John Williams, and accomplished a summer tour through Japan with the National Orchestra of Spain. The 2017-18 season will see Sáinz Villegas making various debuts, including at the prestigious National Performing Arts Center in Beijing, Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra at the Millennium Park in Chicago, the New Zealand Symphony, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo, New York’s iconic 92nd Street Y and Orquesta de Minerı́a in Mexico City, to name a few. Sáinz Villegas continuously searches for ways to communicate with young audiences and to inspire them with music. A born communicator, the guitarist explains: “Music is among things we cannot touch and that is what makes it most powerful”. Giancarlo Guerrero Giancarlo Guerrero is a six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor now in his tenth season as Music Director of the Nashville Symphony. Guerrero is also Music Director of the Wrocław Philharmonic at the National Forum of Music in Poland and Principal Guest Conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal. Guerrero is widely praised for his instinctive musicianship and for bringing to the podium “not only vitality and insight but also an appealing physical dynamism” (The Plain Dealer). A passionate proponent of new music, Guerrero has championed the works of America's most respected composers through commissions, recordings, and world premieres. Guerrero’s advocacy has helped make Nashville a destination for contemporary orchestral music. He has presented nine world premieres with the Nashville Symphony, including the 2016 performance and recent GRAMMY®-winning recording of Jennifer Higdon’s All Things Majestic and the 2018 premiere and recording of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 4 “Heichalos,” written for the Nashville Symphony’s Violins of Hope initiative, which featured a collection of restored instruments that survived the Holocaust. As part of his commitment to fostering contemporary music, Guerrero developed and guided the creation of Nashville Symphony’s Composer Lab & Workshop initiative, together with composer Aaron Jay Kernis. Fall of 2018 brings the Naxos release of John Harbison’s monumental Requiem with the Nashville Symphony and Chorus. The release marks both Guerrero’s first choral recording and the first time the work will be heard on record since its premiere by the Boston Symphony in 2003. In the spring of 2019, Naxos will release Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony’s recording of Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 4. Recent seasons have also seen the release of new albums with Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony dedicated to the music of Terry Riley, Michael Daugherty and Richar