2013 BMI William Schuman Prize
At a glance
ORCHESTRATION
3.2+ca.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp; 3 perc - pno; hp - str
YEAR COMPOSED
2011
DURATION
8
AWARDS
2013 BMI William Schuman Prize
PREMIERE
May 24, 2013. Teatro Degollado; Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra; Leslie Dunner, conductor.
Listen In
Score Sample
Program Note
Inspired by Octavio Paz’s collection of essays under the same title, El Laberinto de la Soledad (The Labyrinth of Solitude) depicts every Mexican’s quest to discover and understand his true identity. In this work, solitude is portrayed as an outcry of anxiety as a result of feeling alone and estranged from one’s culture and traditions. The emotions one feels during times of solitude oscillate between defensiveness and aggression. The tonally oriented passages juxtaposed with stridently dissonant ones represent these extreme emotions. The Mexican folk music represents the nostalgia for a past that offered a sense of belonging, while the Mexican party music mocks the cultural necessity to hide under a celebratory mask in order to avoid internal demons. The metaphor of the labyrinth is present in the form of the piece, in which sections of music reappear in disguise. In the end, everyone longs to find happiness at the exit of this labyrinth.
—Juan Pablo Contreras
Reviews
“On March 23, Contreras’ El Laberinto de la Soledad, a symphonic homage to Octavio Paz, was warmly received at New York’s Borden Auditorium. The Manhattan School of Music Symphony enthusiastically played this work, in which Contreras portrays the contrasting themes of Paz’s book with vehemence and color. Yes, Chávez’s legacy is evident, but so is Contreras’ masterful technique that allows him to translate the emotions of our Mexican identity to the staff, rightfully earning my most enthusiastic praise.”
“The concert opener was Contreras’ award-winning El Laberinto de la Soledad, a nationalistic work influenced by the Chávez-and-Copland symphonic tradition.”
“When I hear El Laberinto de la Soledad, I want to stand up and dance! In it, I hear the son jarocho and mariachi music, as well as banda tunes. This party music is often interwoven with beautiful European-influenced melodies. All in all, it’s a frenetically delightful mix that depicts Mexico’s history.”
