ENRICO CHAPELA BARBA
COMPOSER
ÍNGuESU
Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned by the National System for Musical Development for its premiere by the Carlos Chávez Symphony Orchestra, 2003.
When composing this work, I found it opportune to offer a heartfelt tribute to the aforementioned composer, who was a determined promoter of aesthetic patriotism, with the creation of a contemporary neo-nationalist score.
First, I set about choosing a suitable vernacular theme, appropriate both for the new times and for my own incarnations of the autochthonous, and in an act of plain honesty, I concluded that my greatest outbursts of nationalism undoubtedly occur in the heat of a match of the Mexican national soccer team, so I set out to compose an ode to the ultimate glory of the tricolor, which is the conquest of the FIFA Confederations Cup achieved against Brazil on August 4, 1999, on the field of the Azteca Stadium. I then looked for a report of the match that contained the lineups and other details, assigning the woodwinds as the starters for Mexico, the brass as the starters for Brazil, the percussion as the substitutes, the piano and harp as the technical directors, the strings as the public, and the conductor as the referee. Then I drew a graph with the most relevant data of the game, that is, with the minutes of the goals, the substitutions, the cautioned players, and of course, the Brazilian defender sent off for accumulating yellow cards, whom the conductor throws off the stage by showing him the red card.
The musical themes that narrate the vicissitudes of the match are: a pair of rhythmic ostinatos originating from the Mexican son and the Brazilian samba that symbolize the offensive of both teams, and the spontaneous singing of "lero-leros," "q-leros," and swear words that flow abundantly from the stands and within the field in the heat of the dispute for national pride. The use of these famous themes, which are the heritage of every brawl, demonstration, and traffic jam that has occurred in Mexico, contains a semantic value, since every compatriot understands the message contained in them pristinely, as well as an aesthetic value with national validity and identity that allows them to be classified as authentically popular and current themes. In fact, since people hear them daily, it is easier to follow their exposition, development, and interaction, being able to weave a narrative. Regarding their vulgarity, the notes are not to blame for the meaning that people impose on them; it is in the ear of the vulgar person where the insults reverberate. You, gentle reader, will have nothing to worry about.
For the Antagónica album, I recruited the most reputable performers in Mexico to record separately, instrument by instrument, to later edit and mix everything on the computer.
The result is a dreamlike symphony orchestra only assembled in the digital realm, and which I will christen the Silvestre Revueltas Virtual Symphony Orchestra, thereby completing my tribute to the Mexican school of composition.
DISCOGRAPHY
ANTAGÓNICA
2007
Enrico Chapela Barba
Consecuencias Discográficas
AWARDS
June 9, 2006
March 27, 2006
August 27, 2005
Work recommended at the 53rd UNESCO International Tribune of Composers in Paris, France.
Work selected at the TRIMME Mexican Music Tribune, Mexico City.
1st place in the 2nd Alexander Zemlinsky International Composition Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio.
PERFORMANCES
Walt Disney Concert Hall. L.A. Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor.
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane, Australia. Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Alondra de la Parra, conductor.
Belgrano Auditorium, Buenos Aires, Argentina. National Symphony Orchestra, Luis Gorelik, conductor.
Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Marcos Arakaki, conductor.
Martin Woldson Theater, Spokane, WA, USA, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Eckart Preu, conductor.
Degollado Theater, Guadalajara, Mexico, Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, Leslie Dunner, conductor.
Sala São Paulo, Brazil. Campos do Jordão Festival Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor.
Claudio Santoro Auditorium, Campos do Jordão Festival Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor.
Jim Rouse Theatre, Columbia, MD, USA. Columbia Orchestra, conducted by Jason Love.
Arts Centre, Seoul, Korea. Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Pascal Rophé, conductor.
Tanglewood Festival, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Stefan Asbury, conductor.
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Santa Cruz, California, USA, Marin Alsop, conductor.
Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, Jena, Germany, Nicholas Milton, conductor.
Autumn Festival, Warsaw. Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Krzysztof Urbański, conductor.
Kennedy Center, Washington DC. Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Alondra De la Parra.
Nezahualcóyotl Hall, Mexico City. POA, Alondra De la Parra, conductor.
Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City. POA, Alondra De la Parra, conductor.
Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas. POA, Alondra De la Parra, conductor.
Skirball Center, New York. POA, Alondra De la Parra, conductor.
U.S. Premiere at The Town Hall, New York. POA, Alondra De la Parra, conductor.
World Premiere. Blas Galindo Auditorium National Center of the Arts, Mexico City. Carlos Chávez Symphony Orchestra, Teresa Rodríguez, conductor.
October 12 ,2017
April 29, 2017
June 13, 2014
June 08, 2014
January 26, 2014
February 17, 2013
July 15, 2012
July 14, 2012
October 6, 2012
October 20, 2010
August 10, 2009
August 8, 2009
May 10, 2009
September 19, 2008
November 28, 2007
November 25, 2007
November 24, 2007
November 20, 2007
November 15, 2007
November 30, 2004
November 9, 2003