Art is subtly and uniquely present in Vortex coworking spaces like an unseen magic that inspires all of us around. Perhaps this is because each space has a historical connection to great Valencian artists:
- Vortex Ciencias on a street named after the renowned Valencian painter Julio Peris Brell (1866–1944). Find more info about his history in this other blog!
- Vortex Centro is in the very place where the famous Valencian composer Joaquín Rodrigo (1901–1999) once lived as a child. In his honor, we have a piano at the entrance. Would you like to learn more about him? Scroll down!
Joaquín Rodrigo was born in Sagunto on November 22, 1901, the feast day of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. He was the youngest of ten siblings, the son of Vicente Rodrigo Peirats, a landowner and merchant from Almenara (Castellón), and Juana Vidre Ribelles.
In 1905, Sagunto was struck by a diphtheria epidemic that claimed the lives of many children. Rodrigo survived but was left almost completely blind. Later in life, he would reflect on this tragedy without bitterness, believing it might have been what led him to music.
His family moved to Valencia when he was four years old, where he attended a school for blind children and began his education. He quickly developed a deep interest in both literature and music.
Rodrigo took music lessons from professors at the Valencia Conservatory, though he never formally enrolled. His literary knowledge was largely shaped by Rafael Ibáñez, a companion hired by the family to assist him. Ibáñez not only helped him in daily life but also became his secretary and copyist. Rodrigo would later say, “Rafael lent me the eyes I did not have”, as he read to him the masterpieces of Spanish literature, philosophical works, essays, and studies on a wide range of topics.
By the early 1920s, Joaquín Rodrigo had already become an excellent pianist and a skilled composition student, well-acquainted with avant-garde artistic movements. In 1927, he moved to Paris to further his studies, later dividing his time between Paris, Madrid, and shortly Germany in the following years.
Rodrigo’s most famous composition, and one of the most beloved musical pieces of the 20th century, is the first of his eleven concertos: the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, written in 1939.
On July 21, 1997, after 65 years of marriage, Rodrigo’s wife and lifelong companion, Victoria, passed away. Almost a century old, Joaquín Rodrigo followed her two years later, on July 6, 1999, at his home in Madrid, surrounded by his family. Today, Joaquín and Victoria rest together in the family pantheon at the Aranjuez cemetery.
If you would love to work in a coworking space in Valencia with a deep connection to art, like ours, take a look at our website and come try a day with us to feel the magic for yourself!