Wild Rhythms

About the Program Spanish music and they also have this Schubert was ridiculously prolific. In a gutsy feeling. There’s some places in the compositional life that was basically only pieces I play that are so dramatic, and two decades, he wrote more than 1,500 also the drive of the rhythm is works. This includes more than 600 lieder tremendous! So I guess there are (songs), nearly as many pieces for solo similarities. In this world, in this language piano, 20 stage works (operas, incidental of international music, you always find music, etc.), more than 20 string quartets something. That’s why we all are here, (also quintets, trios, and duos), a dozen and try to communicate that through symphonies of which seven were music, because in a way, we can all completed (turns out The Unfinished understand through music.” Symphony is just an unfinished symphony), and some 40 liturgical works, including Jorge Federico Osorio has brought music several masses. by two Mexican composers for his performance on January 16. Manuel Schubert was also radically depressed. Wild Ponce, who is one of Mexico’s most (Understandably so, for a young man famous composers, brought a mostly diagnosed with syphilis before he even forgotten tradition of popular song and turned 30.) In a letter to a close friend he Mexican musical folklore into the concert wrote, “I feel myself to be the most Rhythms hall. Ricardo Castro, a concert pianist, unfortunate, the most miserable being in was one of the earliest classical artists the world. Think of a man whose health By Brian Lauritzen and composers to tour the world and will never be right again, and who from share the music of Mexico with audiences despair over the fact makes it worse Just because he was born in Mexico City, in Europe and elsewhere. instead of better; think of a man, I say, it would be unfair to pigeon-hole Jorge whose splendid hopes have come to Federico Osorio as just a specialist in There’s certainly a European influence in naught, to whom the happiness of love Mexican piano music. He certainly is that Castro’s Barcarola, a lilting song and friendship offers nothing but acutest but also so much more. Osorio is a self- reminiscent of the Venetian gondoliers. pain, whose enthusiasm (at least, the described Brahms nut, a frequent You’ll hear the influence of Franz Liszt in inspiring kind) for the Beautiful threatens collaborator on the chamber music scene, this music, but all filtered through to disappear, and ask yourself whether he a celebrated recording artist, and a Castro’s thoroughly original isn’t a miserable, unfortunate fellow. My passionate advocate for music education compositional voice. peace is gone, my heart is heavy, I find it who performs regularly for young never, nevermore…so might I sing every people’s concerts. If you hear echoes of Debussy or French day, since each night when I go to sleep I impressionism in Ponce’s Balada hope never again to wake, and each And, yes, he dearly loves the piano music Mexicana, you wouldn’t need to get your morning merely reminds me of the misery of his homeland and plays it as often as ears checked. Ponce spent eight years of yesterday.” he can. He says it gives him great pride to living in Paris (where he studied with play music of Mexico on his concerts. He Debussy’s teacher, Paul Dukas) and when If you’ve ever battled depression, or know says he also likes to highlight the he returned to Mexico, he was a huge someone who has, you know that’s difference between the piano music of champion of Debussy’s music, requiring precisely what it feels like. There is no Mexico and Spain. his own students to learn and perform it hope. And yet, Schubert’s music from the on their concerts and recitals. end of his life is not an endless stream of “I think Spanish and Mexican music are woeful laments. In fact, his late music very, very contrasting, very different,” he Debussy makes an appearance on Jorge searches for peace, comfort, and said in an interview with radio journalist Federico Osorio’s program. His Préludes— meaning among the darkness. Perhaps, Bruce Duffie. “Of course there’s affinity most of which have evocative titles like this search brought Schubert some because of the culture where everything The Submerged (Sunken) Cathedral, The manner of consolation. has been happening in the last five Wind in the Plain, or Canopic Jar (yes, as in hundred years! Certain composers were what the ancient Egyptians stored the Two Chorale Preludes by Bach and a very much influenced by Spanish body’s organs in during the mummification lesser-known work by Franz Liszt—based composers and music. At one time we had process)—were written between 1909 and on literary themes which ask the so many Spanish intellectuals coming to 1913, so right at the same time as Ponce questions “What do I want? Who am I? Mexico; at that time in Mexico, it was a was living in Paris. What do I ask of nature?"—round out strong influence on so many people in so Jorge Federico Osorio’s program. many areas.” It’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around the concept that anything created by a The difference, Osorio says, is in the 31-year-old is “late work.” But tragically, musical source material. Join Brian Lauritzen and other guest Franz Schubert died at that tender age. moderators for free pre-concert The music he produced in his final years “Mexican music has really gone back and conversations in the Bram Goldsmith shows a depth beyond his years. Age, as tried to find the roots in pre-Colombian Theater with the artists prior to select they say, is just a number. music. The rhythms and all that are much classical music performances, along more wild. It’s much more raw, the with a complimentary glass of wine When Jorge Federico Osorio plays Mexican type of music. Raw from the guts. provided by The Henry Wine Group. Schubert’s penultimate piano sonata, we On the other hand, I was thinking about get a glimpse of the man behind the music. P14 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE .

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