Mexico Pieces in Tucson for “¡Celebración Latina!”
Our 2022-23 season kicks off on September 17 with a festive celebration of Mexico with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Scheduled for the weekend immediately following Mexican Independence Day, and the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, there are several noteworthy facets to this concert.
Firstly, it’s our third collaboration with the TSO and second with Maestro José Luis Gomez. The special event concert is part of the TSO’s new initiative “¡Celebración Latina!” that highlights the city’s cultural heritage and welcomes new audience members to the concert hall. And lastly, the TSO is premiering a new rendition of Mágico—in this case, a version set to the Moncayo’s lovely Tierra de Temporal.
The concert program at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall begins by tipping its hat to ancient Mexico with Pre~Columbia, which is set to the thunderous first movement of Revueltas’s La Noche de los Mayas. Pre~Columbia journeys through the imposing ruins left by sophisticated Mesoamerican civilizations amongst the dense jungles and high plateaus of central and southern Mexico. Palenque, Chichén Itzá, Monte Albán, Uxmal, Ek’ Balam, and Teotihuacán are just some of the ancient cities depicted.
Because the ancient is indelibly woven into Mexico’s present-day cultural traditions, Pre~Columbia sets the stage for Mágico, a two-part piece that presents a colorful tapestry of the people, places, festivals, and everyday life that make contemporary Mexico such a fascinating and diverse country. To produce Pre~Columbia and Mágico, Westwater Arts Multimedia Artist Nicholas Bardonnay spent a year living and photographing in Mexico where he captured places, festivities and facets of life from 18 Mexican states. “This is the most dynamic and logistically challenging project I’ve ever photographed, but it was a labor of love and I consider it a thank-you gift to the wonderful people I met along the way,” says Nicholas of the production.
Nicholas will be live-cuing all of his choreographed visuals for Mágico alongside the TSO’s performances of Moncayo’s Tierra de Temporal and Márquez’s Danzón No. 2. The latter work is sure to get some audience foot tapping going!
For some in Tucson, the visuals in the Mexico pieces will be a connection to places they grew up in or where their families have visited or have roots. For those with more limited experience of Mexico, they often instill a greater appreciation for Mexico’s natural beauty, kind people, and rich cultural life that Mexican citizens cherish deeply. We’re so happy that these pieces are inspiring thoughts of “I didn’t realize Mexico had…” conversations all over the U.S.!
Another exciting component is that the TSO will be collaborating with Orkestra Mendoza, a Tucson-based Indie-Mambo band, for the first time! Described as “a combination of ranchera, cumbia, psychedelic and indie rock,” the addition of Orkestra Mendoza on stage with the orchestra is going to create a one-of-a-kind concert experience for everyone.
¡Nos vemos en Tucson!
