By Charlize Althea Garcia, Nov. 12. 2024
In a musical scene where Latin and Latino never really receives the same attention as a traditional symphony, The Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrated Día de los Muertos by playing works of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Gabriela Ortiz and Silvestre Revueltas Nov.1.
Latin and Latino music has always had a record of being a “feature” in a program, never a routine practice or a staple. Though the LA Philharmonic has made efforts to combat these norms, much more can always be done considering the amount of repertoire and the community and time of which the orchestra lives in.
To celebrate Día de los Muertos, the three pieces were selected as ofrendas.
“Choros No.10” was composed in 1926. The LA Phil first performed it in 1997, almost 70 years after its release. Unfamiliar with LA Phil programming in the ‘90s, I am still unsure whether this orchestra has made major progress congruent with the social surroundings of the community in acknowledging the almost infinite repertoire of composers outside of Western classical music.
What sounds like a composition from early 20th century Europe for the first eight minutes, completely shifted into a known yet foreign landscape. “Chôros No. 10” by Villa-Lobos is a piece that can change the perception of classical music entirely. Beginning with its instrumentation, the piece consisted of a large chorus, full orchestra and heavily replete with Brazilian instruments.
“Choros No.10” is a piece this current generation can grasp and appreciate. The use of percussion, the primacy of rhythm and the grooving choir were all things a modern-day listener could identify with.
The piece can be sectioned into two parts, the first inhabiting a European compositional style but in itself eccentric with bouts of percussion, brass elements sprinkled in spontaneously and irregular meters that would change every measure. The woodwinds’ melodies were playful, simultaneously providing moments of mystique through their transient solos. The upper strings had a screeching quality at times while the lower strings, with minimal melodies, created a darker tone aiding the low brass.
And in a matter of a few measures, there was a complete shift introduced by a pulsating bassoon solo.
The door was opened to a distinct groove emulated by the family of percussion. The focus went from the orchestra straight to the choir as they imitated the same rhythm from the bassoon. The choir was almost cinematic. The chanting rhythms were shared throughout the lower voices, but each recited different text, creating an exciting chaos that was also pretty catchy. The upper voices joined in with a lucid melody that added to the drama.
This piece would garner the same reception as any of the Western classical celebrated pieces the LA Phil performs if it were played more in other renowned orchestras. This piece has the ability to grasp the attention of the modern-day listener and retain it.
Following the same cinematic nature, “La Noche de Los Mayas” by Silvestre Revueltas was composed for the film of the same name in 1939, first played at the LA Phil in 1998. The piece aids the narrative of a tribe of Mayans who meet a foreign explorer that leads to tragedy and romance.
The beginning of the piece was grand and loud. The violins were almost always in a higher register paired with a motif of brass bellows that all contributed to the mightiness of the Mayans. Nearing the end, the percussion section, composed of almost 10 musicians who played instruments varying from cultural origin, performed a cadenza that was surprisingly modest considering the genesis and theme of the piece. For a percussion section so imposing supplemented with instruments so colorful, their improvisation seemed muted, almost careful and calculated.
Nonetheless, La Noche de Los Mayans beautifully meshed classical symphony with Mexican musical stylings that created a thematic and memorable performance.
Gabriela Ortiz’s “Yanga” composed in 2019 invites another conversation on cultural advocacy in classical music. “Yanga” is based on the African-born leader, Gaspar Yanga, of formerly enslaved people who resisted the Spanish in the early 17th century. He led a runaway slave community in the regions near Mt. Orizaba in eastern Mexico and negotiated with Spanish colonizers for their freedom.
The piece features a percussion quartet with instruments, including batas, okonkolo, itoteles, iya, djembe, rasp, guiro, wood boxes, shekere, jam block, crotales, cajon, caxixi, drum set, claves, congas and bongos, performed by the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble. From the syncopated rhythms shared with the percussion ensemble and orchestra to the sonorous recitations from the chorus, the tone of “Yanga” was stately and dignified but the message was lost, more so hidden.
To tell a story of such importance, it is not enough to present an audience, most likely people who have no idea who this historical figure is, a handful of African instruments that don’t even adhere to African rhythms to portray a cultural event such as slave resistance in colonization. The use of percussion seemed opportunist and lacking in what could have been something transformative.
It can also be counterintuitive because of its pairing with Western classical instruments, and even within the orchestra, there is no noticeable uniqueness to the culture. In this way, the dichotomy clearly defines an othering, classifying the percussion instruments as the other, in this case Yanga.
The audience is aided with a program note and a poem, both of which were no help in providing a substantial meaning of this piece. Considering this subject, text should provide an explicit explanation that aids the reader as they listen.
“Yanga” was commissioned by Gustavo Dudamel, conductor of the evening, to be a companion to Beethoven’s Ninth symphony. Even in its conception, the intention to tell the story is secondary; it was written to aid Beethoven, not stand alone.
Inclusion of music from the Spanish-speaking world of classical music programming must become more of a necessity, as normal as playing a Beethoven symphony in a concert hall. Orchestras don’t need a holiday nor a themed program to commemorate what has already existed for decades. There is so much more music outside of the Western classical world that needs to be played.
For the sake of its vitality, cultural classical pieces need to find a permanent home in concert halls. And I guarantee the current generation will appreciate this inclusion, maybe even push them to sit through a concert.
Feature image courtesy of Farah Sosa and The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
