This Saturday, July 2, the second Contemporary Music Marathon will be held. For 9 uninterrupted hours at the Ex Teresa Museum of Contemporary Art, contemporary proposals from more than 50 composers and performers from INBAL and Ónix Ensamble, among other guests, will be presented.
“A marathon is a way to concentrate, in a single day, a thermometer or overview of what is happening in our country in terms of composers and performers. It is a legacy, heritage that exists in Mexico, there is classical music today, which is being made and the general public does not know it”, said flutist Alejandro Escuer, director of the Ónix Ensamble.
At a press conference, Escuer explained that the purpose of the event is to put first the level of Mexican composition and interpretation available to the public, as well as to share “the fun part of music” that consists of listening and living it.
“Contemporary music is not as rare as we think. We listen to it in video games, mystery action movies -like Hitchcock-, in science fiction… it’s music that already fascinates us and is part of us. So seeing how it is played and sounded live is an experience of life that cannot be missed”.
Performers of varied instruments will participate, such as saxophone and guitar quartets, piano, electric guitar, toy piano, contrabassoon, cello, voice, and multichannel surround or percussion, so Escuer considered that it is an opportunity to get to know the landscape of current music and interact with the performing musicians.
Among the composers whose works will be performed are: Georgina Derbez, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, Leonardo Coral, Hugo Solís, Jimena Palma, Rodrigo Sigal, Roberto Sierra, George Aperghis, Iannis Xenakis and Steve Reich, by soloists and groups such as Juan Carlos Laguna , Mauricio Náder, Safa Percussion Ensemble, Ónix Ensemble, Low Frequency Trio, Carlos Salmerón and Mónica López Lau, among others.
Escuer also highlighted that this marathon will be the occasion for several world premieres, among which “Meditación” (2022) stands out, written for percussion bassoon guitar, oboe, double bass and viola by the Black Noise ensemble; “Tú Automata” (2022) by electric guitarist Ofelia Negrete; and “Cuatro Rumores del Agua for electronic toy piano and watercolor on paper” by Guillermo Cuéllar, who fears water since he almost drowned. “What he did was paint a watercolor, relate it to the toy piano and make an electronic and video about it.”
Those who attend will be able to experience pieces of electronic music, minimalism, spectralism, polystylism, free improvisation or with old instruments, conceptual music, postmodernism and sound art.
On the other hand, those who are interested in participating in a third Contemporary Music Marathon will be able to take advantage of this occasion to establish relationships and share their projects.
“We are inviting soloists and musicians to submit their proposals for the 2023 Marathon because it is about being inclusive, building community and representing composers through performance,” added Alejandro Escuer.
He added that, in the spirit of innovation, they devised a space for coexistence in which the public will be able to design their own listening itinerary, as well as enter and exit freely. Regardless of the time the assistance arrives, there will be a projection that will tell what is being played, as well as a brief explanatory note about the piece that will help understand and appreciate contemporary music.
Admission is free. Space will be limited to the capacity of the venue. The event will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Ex Teresa Museum of Contemporary Art, which is located at Lic. Verdad 8, Historic Center of Mexico City, Downtown, Cuauhtémoc.
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