Jose Hernandez and Jeff Nevin |
Concerto for Mariachi and Orchestra, "Pasion Mexicana"
| Instrumentation | Mariachi: 7 vlns., 3 tpts., folk harp, vihuela, guitar, guitarron Orchestra: 2-2-2-2, 4-2-3-1, timp., 4 perc. (standard instruments), strings |
| Length | 22 minutes |
| Difficulty | Soloists come with the piece (see below), orchestra parts are moderately difficult: the orchestra plays a lot, but everything is playable by most community orchestras, and there is definitely enough to keep pros engaged. |
| Comments | The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Association and the Mariachi Heritage Society jointly commissioned me (Jeff) to work with Jose Hernandez to create this piece for his Mariachi Sol de Mexico and the La Jolla Symphony. Jose wrote a number of melodies and a lot of text which I took (along with much of my own music) and wove into a true concerto, and he closely scrutinized the mariachi parts to preserve authenticity. The result is a serious piece designed to be performed by orchestras on any of their standard concerts where a traditional concerto would fit (the premier is on a concert with Debussy's Nuages and Fetes and Stravinsky's Firebird). Jose is one of the leading mariachi musicians, composers, arrangers in the world today (he and his mariachi have recorded with Linda Rondstadt, Selena, The Beach Boys and many well-known Mexican singers, have appeared in several recent movies, and currently record for EMI Latin); I have a BM from the U of Illinois, MM from Arizona State, and soon will have a Ph.D. from the U of California at San Diego--all in composition. This piece is my Ph.D. dissertation. Mariachi Sol de Mexico has the sole right to appear as soloist with this piece for 5 years, and they will be actively seeking performance opportunities as soon as a tape is available. |
| Sources | Score and parts are exquisite and, for now, are available from me: Jeff Nevin jndnevin@aol.com 14183 Stoney Gate Pl. San Diego, CA 92128 (619) 675-7524 |
| Extras | Mariachi Sol de Mexico is comprised of truly world-class players and singers--not untrained, rustic folk-musicians. This piece is intended to introduce the best of mariachi music today to the "Western-European" audience. If you have never heard any of the 5-or-so top mariachis in the world, I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised, and genuinly impressed. Check out their website at: www.mariachi-sol.com |
| History | None yet! The world premier is Feb. 21 and 22 in La Jolla, CA (3 performances), and another performance is scheduled in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium March 14. |
| Contributor | Jeff Nevin |
| Other | |
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