Three Pieces for Viola and Orchestra by Addi Corpus (Mexican composer)

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Addi Corpus is a young Mexican violist and composer born in 1992 in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He carried out his musical studies at the Julián Carrillo State School of Musical Initiation, in San Luis Potosí, and at the Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez (OECCh), in Mexico City; his works have been premiered and performed by the Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de México (OSIM), the OECCh, the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Hidalgo, among others.

Threes Pieces for Viola and Orchestra is a work for string, harp and percussion orchestra, it consists of three movements: I- Mero Ikoots (ourselves), II- Nocturno, III- Nonoalco (place of the deaf); Movement II is for the disappeared and dissidents, in memory of Bauman, and Movement III is a tribute to Philip Glass. The first movement begins with a brief introduction by the orchestra followed by the viola presenting the first theme, then the second theme is played by the viola with harmonics and is repeated by the orchestra. The second movement is calmer, here the viola is heard in the bass registers of it, which is accompanied by the harp, the bass strings and the percussions. The third movement is more moderate, the viola begins accompanied by the harp, and gradually accelerates to end with a passage where the orchestra is integrated, in this movement we hear a dialogue between the viola and the orchestra; Before the end of the movement, the viola has a cadence where she develops some themes that she had throughout the work.

As the composer himself mentions, the origin of these pieces is in the version for viola and piano, but it was first released in the version for orchestra. This work, like others by the composer, has a nationalist style, which reminds us of the great Mexican composers of the last century, but with the use of new harmonies and techniques. Without a doubt, this young composer will have much to contribute to the future.

In this video we are listening to the violist Jorge Delezé, who was who commissioned the work; He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and a viola teacher in the Carlos Chávez School Orchestra, a task that he has carried out for several years, managing to graduate new generations of Mexican violists.

Thank you very much for reading and see you soon with more viola music by Mexican composers.

Luis Ángel Chab Dzul.

Addi Corpus YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC08Ef9M4Hixt7ZlJfBzXsTw