2014 Arturo Márquez Composition Contest
At a glance
ORCHESTRATION
solo hp - 1.1.1.1 - 1.0.0.0 - 2 perc - str
YEAR COMPOSED
2013
DURATION
22'
PREMIERE
December 4, 2014. Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral; Mexico City, Mexico. Orquesta del Festival Artístico de Otoño; Kristi Shade, harp; Jesús Medina, conductor.
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Score Sample
Program Note
Ángel Mestizo (Mestizo Angel), a concerto for harp and chamber orchestra, is an imaginary journey of the harp’s migration to Mexico during the Spanish conquest and its evolution to become one of the most iconic instruments in the country.
The concerto is cast in four movements. The first movement, “La Conquista” (“The Conquest”), narrates the onset of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The movement is driven by sounds of gunshots and galloping horses. Historians believe the Spaniards first brought the harp to Veracruz, a major port on the Gulf of Mexico. “Veracruz,” the second movement, depicts the harp’s arrival in this beautiful city.
The third movement, “Cadenza Criolla,” is scored for solo harp. The cadenza incorporates thematic ideas from the previous movements and outlines the evolution of the harp in Mexico. What had been an exclusively European instrument was slowly appropriated by Mexican musicians and eventually became a folk instrument.
The finale, “Son Jarocho,” celebrates the mestizo culture that predominates in modern Mexico. The movement revolves around a festive theme that is first introduced by a solo violin. The concerto concludes in an uplifting tone praising the product of the blending of the Spanish and indigenous people: the mestizo angels.
—Juan Pablo Contreras
Reviews
“Ángel Mestizo is a rhythmically rich and colorfully Mexican harp concerto.”
“Ángel Mestizo is an ambitious work, taking in the history of Mexico and the evolution of its social order – using the harp as the musical focal point was a brilliant choice. The scoring and orchestration is fully formed and mature beyond the years of the composer. The music of Juan Pablo Contreras would be a fine addition to the repertory of any American chamber orchestra seeking to connect with a contemporary Latin audience.”
“Ángel Mestizo is an appealing and effective work, with many beguiling moments as the protagonist makes a journey of cultural transformation towards a festive conclusion.”
