Altar de Neón

Gabriela Ortiz

General Info

Year: 1995
Duration: c. 20:00
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Player I - IV:

Orchestra

Program Notes

Notes Altar de Neón for percussion quartet and chamber orchestra (1995)

Most popular cultures in Latin America invent and recreate their myths by interpreting foreign cultures, and by taking from them some icons that are mixed and combined with the ones of their own.

Altar de Neón is a piece that invents its own myths and rituals departing from experiences that are as full of mixture and contradiction as Mexican popular culture itself.

The interesting aspect on this process is the re-articulation of alternative traditions that can create and structure new languages, departing from already existing social/cultural roots.

In other words, Altar de Neón searches for new relations amongst tradition and modern world, finding a point of union between local elements such as folklore and popular music, and processes, techniques and styles of Western European music.

The instrumentation of this piece represents the duality here described: the encounter of a group of four percussion soloists playing a number of instruments from diverse popular cultures (Chinese Tom-toms, Arabic Darabuccas, Pre-Hispanic Teponaxtlis, etc.) with a chamber ensemble formed by instruments that belong to a musical culture formally established in Western culture.

Altar de Neón was commissioned by La Camerata, and was premiered at the International Cervantino Festival in 1995 Tambuco, La Camerata, and Enrique Diemecke, conductor.

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

Altar de Neón - Percussion Quartet; Orchestra
Altar de piedra (Altar of Stone) - Percussion Quartet
Atlas-Pumas - Marimba; Violin
Concierto Centela - Multiple Percussion; Marimba; Orchestra
Concierto Voltaje - Timpani; Orchestra
El Trompo - Vibraphone; With Tape
Liquid Borders - Percussion Quartet
Magna sin - Steel Drum; With Tape
Ríos - Percussion Quintet; Flute/Piccolo; Alto Saxophone; Cello
Ríos 1 - Percussion Quintet