Aliat Claro Que Puedo

year: 2018

duration: 1:30 min.

country: Mexico

director: Thomas Whitmore

production: Cine Buró

(2018) for chamber orchestra, electric guitar & electronics

Commissioned by and composed during the Arturo Márquez Extraordinary Fellowship in Music Composition 2018, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and premiered at the University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC), in commemoration for the 50 years of the student movement in Mexico and the Tlatelolco massacre of 1968.

program note: “Fosas”, the first movement, is dedicated to the 43 forcefully disappeared students of Ayotzinapa and inspired on the impunity, cynicism and state violence in Mexico.

The second movement, “Revuelta de voces”, is inspired by the difference in ideals between the students and the Mexican government. For this movement I processed and manipulated audios from secretary of state, Luis Echeverría, president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, and several members of the student movement of 68.

The last movement, “Volcánica”, is inspired by the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanoes, symbols of strength and hope, as depicted by Antonio Velasco Piña in his novel “Regina”.

premiere: 22/09/18, University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC), UNAM, Mexico City, (MX)

director: Christian Gohmer

review:

gaceta.unam.mx

short film

year: 2018

duration: 2:30 min.

country: Mexico

director: Soledad Violeta

genre: experimental

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programe note: A “carrack” was a large sailing ship used for trans-altantic slave trade. And in Spanish, “carraca”, also means “noisemaker”.

The piece is meant to evoke the imaginary journey of an African slave, captured by European conquistadors, and brought to America in one of these large vessels. In the course of the voyage, the slave sails through a turmoil of emotions: feelings of exile, loss, anger, frustration, memories of home and hope. The sonic trip sets sails towards an effusive sea, eventually confronting a violent storm, followed by a calmness where permeating motions of currents ceaselessly twirl. After the storm, the subject floats up to the wreckage and, amongst the debris, slowly drifts towards new land, where he regains a sense of terra firma, once again.

premiere: 29/08/18, Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City, (MX)

tenor sax: Roberto Tercero

electronics: Diego Lozano

more info:

africamericanos

review:

acloserlisten.com

gaceta.unam.mx

centrodelaimagen.cultura.gob

soundcloud.com

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Part 2: radiopodcast.unam.mx

Casa de las Lomas Naturelle & Piel

vocals: Claudia Arellano

year: 2017

duration: 1 min.

country: Mexico

director: Sergio Peña

production: Beat Image

award: Best Music – Pantalla de Cristal, Television/Internet Ad Category, Mexico City (MX).

Flower By Kenzo Travel Book Mexico City

year: 2016

duration: 1:15 min.

country: Mexico

director: Santiago Mohar

production: Jazz Group

Givenchy Ange Ou Demon Le Secret Women & Men

year: 2016

duration: 1 min.

country: Mexico

director: Santiago Mohar

production: Jazz Group

(2017) for electric guitar

program note: Meaning of “scope”:

a) Space or opportunity for unhampered motion, activity, or thought.

b) To look at or over; examine.

c) Extent, limit or range of view, outlook, etc.

The concept of this work is to express freely associated thoughts and feelings with sound and image, and to reflect a dynamic interaction between these mediums. Each piece is represented by a graphic score and a drawing, aided by an “indications” page.

The player must try to create a subjective sonic equivalent of each drawing, using the scores as creative platforms. The player may use any effect and gear as desired. Once the general and particular indications of each movement are understood, the player may freely improvise and create a space of their own.

During some improvisation sessions, certain abstract and figurative imagery came to my mind and without putting down the guitar, I began to draw and design figures from what I imagined the music looked like. Then I tried to find a musical correlation from the visual elements I had captured on paper. So on and so forth, I found myself spiraling into a mirroring creative process between images and sound. The result is the reflection of abstract thought, manifested in sound and image, born from an audiovisual creative process driven by free association and improvisation.

… in the place of a space interwoven by a person with consciousness, is formed a space interwoven by the subconscious. – Walter Benjamin

premiere: 17/04/17, Bin Taq Festival of New Music, Tapachula, Chiapas, (MX)

electric guitar: Hector Murrieta

artwork & graphic scores: Diego Lozano

review:

acloserlisten.com

visual art:

I. Articulated Spaces

II. Perpetuum Mobile (The Light Unbearableness of Being)

III. Lapse Vertigo (or The Terror of Error)

IV. Meshes

V. Infinity In Finity

video score:

Commissioned by Jaime Márquez Diez-Canedo.

program note: The piece, initially inspired by the concept of the eternal return, is also based on the following dualistic ideas: unity and division; being and the thought of being; the interpretation of life and the experience of life itself; the construction of the self and the detachment from that construct; the constant returning to an ever-changing origin; the weaving of an apparently divided self. Furthermore, the inspiration also came from Hofstadter’s paradoxical strange loop concept, which basically consists of a cyclical structure that moves through a system in which an inevitable return to the starting point occurs.

Besides reflecting the aforementioned ideas, summarized in “detachment” and “returning”, the title also reveals another important element of the piece: the prefix “re”, which means “again”, emphasizes the use of a central pedal note and the scordatura of the sixth string from E to D (or Re), hence (D)etach and (Re)turn. The recurring use of this pedal note serves as a focal point and helps give weight and heart to the piece.

The work resulted in musical translation of these concepts, which are represented with and within certain compositional techniques and musical ideas, such as unisons, two-line counterpoint, repetition, recapitulation, variation, reverberation, dynamic contrast, amongst others. Based on a constant interplay of unity and divergence, the music develops around a descending arpeggiated figure presented in unison by both guitars. As the music impetuously moves forward, the guitars detach and intertwine in concomitance with each other through fragmentation, and once a phrase is completed, they return back to the unison, to the origin, to the undivided starting point, once and again.

Every act of perception is, to some degree, an act of creation, and every act of memory is, to some degree, an act of imagination. – Gerald M. Edelman

If you get far enough away you’ll be on your way back home. – Tom Waits

guitars: Diego Lozano

buy score:

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video score:

program note: The piece is based on three fundamental concepts integrated in the title:

1) Cáscara: a word in spanish which means “shell” or “skin”.

2) Cascar, from the etymology of cáscara, means to “hit”, “thump” or “break”.

3) Cáscara or cascarita: in Mexican slang means a “pick up game”.

The core idea of the piece is to explore and express certain similarities between architecture and music. The similarity I am most interested in has to do with the subjective, abstract and mental space produced in the listening experience. In other words, it’s about the inner spatiality created by sounds, how sounds transform and how we transform with them during their perception. The piece is about how we move within the mental structural space induced by music. It’s like being in a house or in an architectural structure.

The piece is a sonic analogy of my own home, which is represented by the two parts: tape and guitar. The tape part represents a house or a fixed and permanent structure, and the guitar part represents the resident of the house, or an individual. The tape part was composed using many sounds I recorded from my own home, such as kitchen utensils, household appliances, bathroom and office accessories, screeching doors, running water, etc. The guitar material consists mostly of specific physical actions written in a rather non-traditional notation (explained in detail in the Instructions pages) which adds the piece an intuitive nature and provides it with an important improvisational quality.

The piece is divided in eight sections which correspond to the number of rooms in my house, each one containing different musical material. Once these ideas are completely understood, the guitarist may play the material with certain freedom regarding intensity, duration and pitch, but he/she will be required to always keep a congruent yet subjective correspondence with the electronic part. Indications are announced all along the score to help the player place him/her self through the timeline. Changes from one section to another and the order of the musical material within the sections do not have to be exact.

guitar: Diego Lozano

premiere: 19/04/18, Adrian Verdejo, Martin Batchelor Gallery, Victoria BC, (CA)

other concerts: Alejandro Ruscio, Biblioteca Nacional (26/09/18), Buenos Aires, (AR). Adrián Verdejo, Vancouver New Music (20-28/02/2021), streaming concert, Vancouver BC, (CA).

winning piece: SAMADIS International Composition Competition 2016, New York, (US)

selection: International Call for Mixed Media Pieces “Mega Jury”, Manuel de Falla Superior Conservatory of Music, Buenos Aires, (AR)

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review:

createastir.ca

Adrian Verdejo’s performance (2021):

video score:

program note: Musikphantome is a term used by Christoph Ruths, and can be translated as “ghosts of music”.

The initial idea for the piece was to transfigure from psychic imagery to a musical language a recollection of memories which involuntarily kept appearing in my mind. These “ghosts” manifested themselves in groups conformed by individual abstract figures, each group with distinct characteristics, forms, colors, textures, and essences. Somehow, I managed to explore and ultimately externalize these “ghosts” by making way for them through a very intuitive compositional process. 

premiere: 27/07/12, Cuarteto Arcano, Manuel M. Ponce Hall, Palace for the Fine Arts Mexico City, (MX)

other concerts: 01/12/12, Quatuor Molinari, Montreal Conservatory of Music, (CA)

first prize: Malta International Composition Competition 2015, Central Academy of Arts, Valetta, (MT)

finalist: Fifth International Composition Competition for String Quartet, Molinari Quartet, Montreal, (CA)

Score published by United Music & Media Publishers

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video score:

(2011) for mixed choir

program note: The piece is based on the idea of recreating a trajectory through a tianguis (market place) in Mexico City. During one of my walks through one of these popular markets, I ready myself to listen, analyze, study and record some of the audible elements that form part of the spirit of the tianguis: the expressions, the phrases, the gestures, the offers, the murmurs, the whistling, the witty ambience and the unique manifestations of the salesmen. These elements form part of the musical material of the piece from which the melodic ideas were born. Several excerpts from the poem Tianguis, by mexican poet José Juan Tablada, were included to help me transmit the essence of the tianguis in a poetic way and to help give the work a better sense of unity.

The listener, as someone who walks through the tianguis, begins his path by entering the market, where the phrases and expressions are not clearly perceived, and at a distance, the voices of the people are heard as a mumble. Gradually, as the walker infiltrates deeper into the market, the uproar clarifies. The passerby moves through the corridors as the salesmen scream for attention, inviting the shopper to their stand. Eventually, the walker arrives to the core of the market, the chaotic climax, where everyone yells, everyone passes through and everyone offers their product. The irregular pulse of the people is felt like a throbbing mosaic. Lost in the tumultuous polyphony. At last, the rambler escapes the turmoil, slowly finding more and more stability. He directs himself towards the exit, experiencing the colors, the scents, the sounds and the chromatic joy of the tianguis. Gradually, the sound of the people mixes up and slowly fades away, until only the murmur of the people at a distance is heard again.

premiere: 20/06/12, Solistas Ensamble (dir. Christian Gohmer), Forum for New Music Manuel Enríquez 2012, Manuel M. Ponce Hall, Palace for the Fine Arts, Mexico City, (MX)

video score:

program note: The piece is inspired by the epilogue of “The baron in the trees” by Italo Calvino.

premiere: 03/25/11, Tempus Fugit (dir. Christian Gohmer), Anáhuac University, Mexico State, (MX)

other concerts: 30/09/11, Manuel M. Ponce Hall, Palace for the Fine Arts, Mexico City (MX); 09/10/11, Theatre for the Arts, National Centre for the Arts, Mexico City, (MX)

video score:

t.v. mini series

year: 2018

duration: 10 min.

country: Mexico

director: Diego Graue

script: Diego Graue, Santiago Mohar & Esteban Sheridan

production: Cine Buró & Televisa

genre: comedy

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short film

year: 2017

duration: 15 min.

country: Mexico

director: Jose Luis Rivera

script: Jose Luis Rivera

production: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC)

music recorded & mixed at: Pedro y el Lobo

genre: western

awards: Director’s Choice for Best International Short Film – The Wild Bunch Film Festival (EU), Best Western Short Film Short Film Showcase of Salas de los Infantes (ES), Honorific Mention – Montevideo Fantástico (UY).

selections: Álamos Mágico IFF 2018, Horror Hound Weekend 2018, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018, Kansas City Film Festival 2018, Macabro Film Fest 2018, Hidalgo IFF 2017, Linares Horror and Fantastic Film Showcase 2017, Monterrey IFF 2017, Mexico – Germany Film Festival in San Luis Potosi 2017, Torreón National Film Festival 2017, Ensenada Film Festival 2017, Chilean International Short Film Festival 2017, Almería Western Film Festival 2017, Feratum Film Fest 2017, UABC International Film Festival 2017, The Wild Bunch Film Festival 2017, León IFF 2017, Algeciras Fantástika 2017, Montevideo Fantástico 2017, San Luis Potosí IFF 2017.

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feature film

year: 2015

duration: 75 min.

country: Mexico, France, UK

director: Rodrigo Cervantes

script: Rodrigo Cervantes & Santiago Mohar

co-production: Mexico – France – UK; Happy Together & Linterna Films

genre: drama

music recorded at: Honky Tonk Studios

sound mixed at: Labo Digital

selections: Morelia International Film Festival 2018, Cabos International Film Festival 2016, Talento Emergente 2019 Cineteca Nacional

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documentary short

year: 2015

duration: 11 min.

country: Mexico

director: Moisés Aisemberg

script: Moisés Aisemberg

genre: documentary

production: Filmaciones de la Ciudad

selection: Guanajuato International Film Festival 2016

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feature film

year: 2015

duration: 68 min.

country: Spain

director: Nicolás Gutiérrez Wenhammar

script: Nicolás Gutiérrez Wenhammar

co-production: Spain – Mexico; Cauce Cine & Cine Frontera

genre: drama

selection: Morelia International Film Festival 2015

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short film

year: 2014

duration: 16 min.

country: Mexico

director: Leonardo Díaz

script: Leonardo Díaz

production: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC)

genre: drama

awards: Best Michoacanian Work and Special Prize I.SAT – Morelia IFF 2014, Best Ibero-American Short Film – Guadalajara IFF 2014, Best Mexican Fiction Short Film – Monterrey IFF 2014, Best International Short Film of Mérida & Yucatán IFF 2014, Prize of the Public – Brno Short Film IFF 2015, Best Director – LANTERNA IFF 2015, Best Fiction Short Film – CortoCINEMA National FF 2015, Best Latin-American Short Film – IFF of the Desert 2015.

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feature film

year: 2014

duration: 92 min.

country: Mexico

director: Santiago Mohar

script: Santiago Mohar

production: Purgatorio Films

genre: drama

music recorded at: Cuarto de Máquinas

sound mixed at: Estudios Churubusco

award: Kukulkán Award – Rivera Maya Film Festival, 2015

selections: Oaxaca Film Fest 2015, 7º Durango International Film Festival 2015, UNAM International Film Festival 2015, Morelia International Film Festival 2014, Mar del Plata Film Festival 2014

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