The Concierto heroico for piano and orchestra was composed by Joaquín Rodrigo for pianist Leopoldo Querol between 1935 and 1943.
The piece is called "heroic" because of the martial rhythms and fanfares of the first movement.
[1] Such touches were common to the era and were sometimes erroneously taken to suggest Rodrigo's support of Francisco Franco.
[1] A modified version of the concerto, produced for Joaquín Achúcarro, was first performed in 1999; this removed two virtuosic cadenzas and balanced the relationship between the piano and orchestral parts.
[citation needed][2] The piece is in four movements: A typical performance of the concerto lasts about 30 minutes.