música del día

[calimac]

It's Cinco de Mayo, and I need no better excuse to offer you these performances, by Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra leading the (sadly defunct, I believe) Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in lively performances of the two leading showpieces of Mexican orchestral music, both inspired by and taking some of their melodies from indigenous Mexican dance hall music (as does a famous U.S. work in that category, Copland's El Salón México). Enjoy them both!

First up is Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo. It was composed in 1941, and held the title of the unquestioned signature work of Mexican pops music until ... well, listen to it first.

"20191015 Copland Appalachian Spring Suite for Ensemble" (Watch on Vimeo)

... until this came along in the last decade or so. Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, composed 1994, and popularized by Gustavo Dudamel and his Venezuelan student orchestra. This, however, is an equally hot, and professional, performance.

Watch on YouTube

Structural analysis of Danzón No. 2, analyzed by me, DB

• Exposition
  • "A" section
    • 0.14 Main theme, clarinet
    • 0.50 Second part of main theme, oboe and clarinet
    • 1.17 Reprise of main theme, strings
  • "B" section
    • 1.51 "Pickup" section, increasing in intensity
    • 2.23 "Fast dance", part 1
    • 2.47 "Fast dance", part 2
    • 3.10 Codetta, piccolo
• 3.23 Intermezzo
• 4.21 Recapitulation
  • "A" section
    • 4.30 Main theme, violin
    • 4.59 Reprise of main theme, strings
    • 5.30 Second part of main theme, clarinet and flute
  • "B" section
    • 6.12 "Pickup" section, with trumpet solo
    • 7.34 "Fast dance", part 1
    • 7.57 "Fast dance", part 2
    • 8.19 Codetta, piccolo
• Coda
  • 8.34 Reprise of "fast dance" part 2
  • 8.57 Coda proper