La Jornada: Llano Alegre, by Moncayo, will premiere at Bellas Artes

The National Symphony Orchestra (OSN) will premiere cheerful plainby the composer José Pablo Moncayo, a piece created in 1941, when the Jalisco native attended Aaron Copland’s summer courses.

The work for chamber orchestra will be performed at the Palace of Fine Arts on September 25, at the beginning of the group’s second season, which will also include a tribute to the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla for the sesquicentennial of his birth, as well as creations by the Mexican Javier Torres Maldonado, who has a great career as a composer in Italy.

This was commented by Ludwig Carrasco, director of the OSN, who also reflected on the need to offer a “solid program” that combines classic pieces with novelties to attract young people:

“It is a short work, but very special, because although the score is edited, the arrangements for orchestra do not exist. We have a great challenge ahead of us, Moncayo is one of our most important composers and we want the Mexican public to enjoy a high-level concert.”

failed debut

cheerful plain was first played at the Berkshire Festival, held at Tanglewood Fields in 1942; However, the performers did not know how to express the essence of the score because “a very poor attempt was made with few instrumentalists,” the American stated in a letter.

A year later, Copland wrote to Carlos Chávez, who was then directing the Mexico Symphony, to perform the piece at Bellas Artes, but the concert never materialized and the composition fell into oblivion under the shadow of the emblematic Huapango. The piece was reinterpreted until 2011 by the Ensenada Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Álvaro G. Díaz Rodríguez.

The OSN will also bring the piano piece to the stage Nights in the gardens of Spainby Manuel de Falla, with the participation of the Spanish soloist Judith Jáuregui.

These premieres will be joined by the works of Mexican Javier Torres Maldonado, who will be interpreted three inventions “Haydn” y Orior; The Manuel Enríquez new music forum will be inaugurated, with a repertoire based on contemporary music and the participation as guest soloist of the German trumpeter Simón Hefele, and panels dedicated to young composers will be held in which proposals will be accepted for the group to perform, with the aim of promoting Mexican talent. The closing of the season will be in December with the traditional Christmas concerts.