infotext:
PASSAGES – MEXICO
In Mexico, an old cultural nation that sees itself in the tradition of pre-Columbian high cultures and the colonial Spanish heritage, different cultures, social worlds, languages and traditions flow into each other. In 2010 Mexico will celebrate the »Bicentenario«, the anniversary commemorating Mexican independence and revolution. Both history and the present leave traces, and the ensemble Intégrales went in search of them.
The ensemble aims to break down aesthetic prejudices and to make the voices of different mental attitudes heard. The criterion for the selection of the composers portrayed was not only expressiveness and craftsmanship, but above all the sensuality of their music. The ensemble Intégrales, together with Deutschlandfunk and the Neue Musik network, awarded KLANG! Hamburg four commissions for compositions; They were premiered as part of the FORUM NEW MUSIC »La otra América« in Cologne in April 2009.
The humorous and spiritual concepts of Alejandro Castaños or Aleyda Moreno convey an image of the young generation that goes its own individual way, while a composer like Gabriela Ortiz, who is in the prime of her career, can be located in classical modernism . Juan José Bárcenas writes in a contemporary style with a Mexican subject, while Georgina Derbez Roque draws on European cultural history in her composition.
Arturo Fuentes, whose music clearly reflects his time in Paris, shows that Europe and Mexico still form a tangent for Mexican artists. It is the youngest, Bárcenas and Moreno, who challenge this tradition, consciously and expressively turning to Mexican themes and content.
program:
Gabriela ortiz (* 1964)
[01] trifolium (2005) 12: 52
for violin, cello and piano
Arthur Sources (* 1975)
[02] Avalanche (2009) 09: 33
for viola and pre-recorded CD
Alejandro Castanos (* 1978)
[03] Intersections (2009) 12: 19
for violin, alto saxophone, percussion and electronics
Georgina Derbez Roque (* 1968)
[04] Not più infelice (2009) 10: 26
for violin, cello, tenor saxophone and percussion
Juan Jose Barcenas (* 1982)
[05] Un Rencor Vivo (2008) 06: 27
for electric violin, cello, tenor saxophone, percussion and electronics
Aleyda Moreno (* 1982)
[06] Night music (2009) 16: 10
for electric violin, alto saxophone, piano, percussion,
pre-recorded CD and live electronics
total time: 67:47
ensemble Integrales
Barbara Lüneburg, violin/electric violin/viola
Sonja Lena Schmid, cello
Ninon Gloger, piano
Burkhard Friedrich, saxophone
Slavik Stakhov, percussion
Henry Vega, live electronics
Press:
14.09.2011
This CD consists of six compositions by six Mexican composers each of whom is pictured within the attractive booklet. Six members of Ensemble Integrales are pictured on the cardboard casing. So the presentation is pleasing and indeed quite lavish. The notes on all of the pieces are rather brief. That may be good or bad depending on your view, but for me a touch more information about the music is, I feel, always helpful. But what about the music? We'll take the pieces in the order presented.
Gabriela Ortiz is in her late 30s and now lives in the USA. Her trifolium is for a conventional piano trio format. This work is in a clear ternary form in which the ideas nicely overlap and make a satisfactory structure. The essay says that the composer draws upon the tonality and rhythm of “salon music” in her native Mexico whilst “blending influences of the Western avant-garde”. The outer sections are lively and exciting, the inner, quiet and nocturnal, and a happy contrast, which works well.
Arturo Fuentes studied with Ferneyhough and Donatoni. His Avalanche (Avalanche) inhabits a hinterland between what might be viola sounds and electronic ones. The former are transformed electronically as if in a dialogue with the pre-recorded CD. Apparently the composer is “concerned with probing the spiritual and philosophical dimensions” between computer music and philosophy. The frenetic sound-world is indeed an avalanche of coruscating, scratching and clamor and is curiously fascinating. At less than ten minutes it makes its point with compact bravura.
In Alejandro Castanos's Intersections there are, say the notes, four protagonists. The violin, which has an extraordinary cadenza at about nine minutes in, the cello and the saxophone. The electronics, “with the wink of an eye” can alter the texture and color of a work which “juxtaposes static and sharply contrasted blocks of sound”. Listen for instance to the violent opening followed by the absolutely still consistent minute or so. This is a seriously avant-garde work with an element of modern jazz and a witty allegro section in which vocal noises are inserted.
We have already noted how these young composers use Western tradition to suit their own artistic goals. Georgina Roque, who also studied with Donatoni, describes herself as a 'musical archaeologist'. She deliberately bases her work Non piu infelice on a piece from the late 14th Century the period of the 'ars subtillior' by the little known Paolo da Firenze. At no point does the original really rear up in front of you but occasional phrases seem to relate to medieval cadences and melodic contours. It is gently appealing and even nostalgic music with its use of saxophone and wispy percussion. I would like to hear more of her work.
Juan José Bárcenos has worked mainly in the multi-media arts-world. As a video artist he is a member of a group called “Colectivo Kaoss” who works in experimental electronic music. His Un Rencor Vivo (A lively rancour) attempts to “find musical parallels for Paradise, hell and Purgatory as found in Juan Rulfo's novel Pedro Páramo, in which he sees a reflection of present-day Mexican Society”. Sadly I can only detect Hell in these wild, scrambled six and a bit minutes. If there was a prize for the most unmusical experience of the year it could, as far as I am concerned, be awarded to this piece. Let's move on to the last work. It's the longest here.
Aleyda Moreno's Night Music is for electronic violin, alto sax, piano and percussion. She studied piano, composition and electronic music in Mexico City and is a member of 'Noiztrik', an improvisational group. This Night music alludes possibly to Bartók but one is reminded not only of animal murmurings and the natural environment but also of how the darkness itself is frightening and intimidating. Moreno occasionally flirts with tonality as instrumental splashes of melody float across the soundscape and then returns to an electronic smear. It's quite fascinating and brings the disc to an intriguing conclusion.
The Ensemble Integrales are well known throughout Europe. Although based in Germany they have been promoting new music from all over the world in recent years. For example in 2007 they worked with Asian composers. There is no doubt about their commitment, expressive abilities and virtuosity. These composers are fortunate indeed to have them working for them with such flair.
Garry Higginson
Commitment, expressive abilities and virtuosity. These composers are fortunate indeed to have these musicians working for them with such flair.
www.musicweb-international.com
02/2011
