Hernán Ramírez’s Second Overture use the full chamber orchestra, highlighting the differentiated and sometimes soloistic use of percussion. In its alternation between solo moments of various instruments and the use of the orchestra en bloc, the work evokes a concerto grosso or a sinfonia concertante. The overall tonality of the work is dark, to which it contributes by being mostly concentrated in a lower and medium register, representing a mysterious character. The timpani, which open the work, are protagonists in various sections. One of them takes place towards the end of the work accompanied by glissandi of the strings in dialogue with the melodic lines of the cellos and double basses. Likewise, the bass drum, indicated as “thunderous,” the gong, and the large snare drum stand out and dialogue with the lower strings.
Space (2017) for string orchestra by Luis Saglie begins with the indication “long, in extreme stillness.” The title alludes to outer space, which its creator evokes with fascination and curiosity. While other works by Saglie are characterized by their rhythmic character, Space surprises with its contemplative atmosphere, which is achieved, among other things, by the decision to work exclusively based on whole, half, quarter and eight note values. The strings unfold in glissandi, long tones and brief motifs extended in legato, forming harmonies that evoke a sense of estrangement, being close to a sacral tone which is never fully achieved. The feeling of estrangement domes together with the search for beauty, but perhaps a kind of beauty that must be found in another cosmos, distant and strange.
Cristian Mezzano’s Concerto per oboe (2017) features a large orchestra, including timpani, suspended cymbals, and glockenspiel. Dedicated to Urquieta, with whom the composer has collaborated on numerous occasions, the work showcases a deep knowledge of the possibilities of the oboe in a contemporary setting. In its use of extended techniques (including multiphonics, tongue ram on the reed, key clicks, etc.) and various expressive possibilities, the work allows its soloist to display a great virtuosity. Although the oboe presents several extensive soloistic interventions (for example in Movements II and III), the orchestra is also challenged to imbue itself with a contemporary language, with indeterminate sections, some lyrical and others very rhythmic, passing through diverse atmospheres and even surprising modal moments, as in the brief third movement.
The score of Memorial (2017) for winds and percussion instruments by García opens with a quote from Pablo Neruda’s poem “Catastrophe in Sewell” from his Canto General (1950). The poem belongs to Part VIII (The earth’s name is Juan), dedicated to Latin American workers and laborers. The poem alludes to Sewell’s historical tragedy in 1945, when 355 miners died as a result of carbon monoxide fumes. However, the verses chosen by García contain a universal character that can be extrapolated to other contexts: “And may your martyrdom help us / to build a severe homeland / that knows how to flourish and punish.” Employing distinctive elements of his language, such as various aleatory effects (tremolos, successions of sounds chosen by the interpreters, glissandi, etc.) and the requirement to respect an atonal character in the aleatoric sections, the work is structured in three parts that follow each other in a fast–slow–fast manner. The fast movements are rhythmic, frenetic, and vigorous, enhanced by the diversified use of percussion and indeterminate melodic lines that achieve great sound climaxes at the end of the phrases. The slow section, on the other hand, employs melodies that use the twelve tones of the chromatic scale, among which the lyrical solos of the woodwinds stand out. These melodies in a piano dynamic are interrupted by nervous blocks in ff and staccato. With its great expressiveness and contrasting characters, Memorial is presented to us as a theatre without words, where unexpected events, alarm signals, and waves of intensity surprise us in a burst of energy.
