Did you know that September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage month? To celebrate, we highlighted some Hispanic composers and the pieces that TRYPO ensembles are preparing to perform this winter. Our 2022-23 season theme is “Music of the Americas,” so works by Hispanic composers will be heard throughout the year. Learn more about Manuel de Falla, Arturo Márquez, and Carlos Gardel:
Manuel de Falla
Young Peoples Orchestra (YPO) will perform Manuel de Falla’s “Tres Picos Sombreros” at the Winter Concert on December 5, 2022, at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Manuel is a very well-known Spanish composer and pianist. He was born and raised in Cadiz and moved to Madrid, where he attended the Real Conservatorio de Música y Declamación. Later in life, de Falla moved to Argentina and spent the rest of his life there. His work “Tres Picos Sombreros” is a ballet that Léonide Massine choreographed. It premiered in 1919 and takes place in a Spanish setting, including Spanish dance techniques instead of classical ballet.
YPO will also play “Danzón No. 2” by Arturo Márquez, one of the most popular and frequently performed orchestral Mexican contemporary classical music compositions. Márquez was born and grew up in Mexico. When he was 16 years old, he attended the Mexican Music Conservatory to further his passion for music. He based his numerous Danzónes on the musical styles of Veracruz. Márquez currently resides in Mexico City with his family.
Carlos Gardel
As part of the same concert event on December 5, Symphonette will perform “Por Una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel, a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer, and actor known as the “King of Tango”.Even though he was born in France, Gardel grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was one of the most prominent figures in the history of tango and was considered an influential interpreter of world-popular music in the first half of the 20th century. Sadly, Gardel died in a plane crash during the height of his career in 1935. “Por Una Cabeza” has been featured in many movies, including Martin Brest’s film Scent of a Woman (1992), the opening scene of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993), and James Cameron’s True Lies (1994).
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Save the date to come to hear these beautiful pieces performed live at YPO and Symphonette’s Winter Concert at Carnegie Music Hall on December 5th! Ticket registration for free general admission tickets and VIP packages will be available on our website soon. Do you have a favorite Hispanic composer or musician that we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments below!