Una rosa para Antonio Soler

The story of the Spanish composer-priest Antonio Soler, told by his music and the musicians who perform it almost three centuries after his death. 

In this documentary film, Spanish filmmaker Arantxa Aguirre explores the life and work of the Padre Antonio Soler, the celebrated composer, keyboardist, and monk who lived in 18th century Spain. Rising to become organist and choir director of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, he was keyboard teacher to the Infante Don Gabriel, son of King Carlos III, for whom he wrote many of his now-treasured 150 keyboard sonatas. Interviewing both historians and important Spanish contemporary interpreters of the composer's work, Aguirre constructs a vivid picture of the man of whom no portraits are known to exist, a man whose luminous music represents some of the best of his age.

Photo: Cuarteto Bréton © José Luis López-Linares