A Guitar Hero Draws His Own Sketches Of Spain
Milos Karadaglic's latest album, Aranjuez, released this July. Lars Borges/Mercury Classics hide caption
Milos Karadaglic's latest album, Aranjuez, released this July.
Lars Borges/Mercury ClassicsIf you're a classical guitarist, it may be impossible to resist the pull of one iconic piece: the Concierto de Aranjuez by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Many musicians regard it as the holy grail of guitar repertoire, including a man so big in the classical world he is known by only one name: Milos.
"One thing about this particular piece is that this melody really transcends into so many different areas, to so many different genres," says 30-year-old Milos Karadaglić, who was born across the Mediterranean from Spain in the tiny Balkan country of Montenegro. "While it is a classical guitar piece and the most iconic of classical guitar pieces, it has inspired so many other musicians to play it."
Milos' latest album is called Aranjuez, but as he explained to NPR's Arun Rath, it isn't just a tribute to Rodrigo: "It's about the journey of the guitar in the 20th century." He spoke with Rath about crafting a narrative from the work of Rodrigo and another Spanish composer, Manuel de Falla. Hear their conversation at the audio link.