composer
Marijn Simons was born in The Netherlands on December 25, 1982. He studied violin with Prof. Saschko Gawriloff, composition with Daan Manneke and James MacMillan and conducting with Ed Spanjaard, ...
related works
Fire Column (Piano Concerto Nº 2) : for piano and string orchestra / Marijn Simons
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Piano and string orchestra
Scoring:
pf str
Concertino for piano and orchestra : 1994-1995 / Enrique Raxach
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Piano and orchestra
Scoring:
3333 4331 5perc hp str pf-solo
Orkeststuk met piano : for piano and orchestra, 1915 / Willem Pijper
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Piano and orchestra
Scoring:
3232 4300 timp 2perc hp str pf-solo
Zwei Konzerte : für Klavier und Orchester, 1929-1930 / Julius Röntgen
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Piano and orchestra
Scoring:
2222 3200 timp perc str pf-solo
composition
A Tí Te Toca : para dos pianos y orquestra, opus 23, 2003 / Marijn Simons
Contains:
Corrido
Mariachi
Sandunga (Danza favorita de Frida Kahlo)
Salsa
Mambo
Description:
Program note (English): A Tí Te Toca (It's your turn) is a Latin jazz expression, referring to when a band member takes a solo. I chose for five Mexican and Cuban folksongs and dances as a basis for this composition, in which the two pianos have soloistic parts. In comparison with the traditional song dances the two pianos fulfil the role of the singer(s). The 'Corrido' is a story song, for almost two centuries an old ballad tradition from Mexico. The texts are obscure and interpreting them is difficult since they often refer to local customs. For the common people the Corrido is a way to tell the unofficial version of history and to protest against exploitation and oppression. This slow opening movement has an epic and lyrical character, continuously supported by a pedal point of two notes (a perfect fourth) in the bassoons and contrabasses. The second movement 'Mariachi' is very folkloristic and has a typical Mexican atmosphere. By the end of the nineteenth century the Mariachi started in the
Mexican state Jalisco, according to the popular legend in the city of Cocula. After the example of the Spanish theatre orchestras a Mexican variant arose consisting of 2 violins, vihuela and guitarrón (respectively a higher and lower tuned guitar). Nowadays a complete Mariachi ensemble consists of 6 to 8 violins, 2 trumpets, vihuela, guitarrón and guitar. The typical Mariachi music is not only meant to be played or sung, but from the very beginning also meant to dance to. In Mexico the Mariachi music has a very important role in social life and is used to celebrate important happenings such as weddings, christenings, birthdays and even funerals. Mexican Frida Kahlo was an extraordinary artist and one of the greatest personalities of Latin-America. After a terrible traffic accident she lived for the rest of her life in infernal and unbearable pains. But she remained proud, unbending and unremitting until death. Her marriage with the world-famous fresco painter Diego Rivera -the
revolutionary- is legendary. They both had a deep-rooted belief in the revolution to glorify the Indian past of Mexico. This relation between the elephant and the pigeon -as they were called in popular speech- varied between passionate love and scornful hate. The 'Salsa' started in the sixties out of a pleasant mix of Afro-Caribbean jazz and Latin-Cuban music, when innumerable Cubans settled in Florida. Salsa is the Spanish word for sauce -the dance is as hot and spicy as the Spanish sauces. The name Salsa was first used in New York as a nickname for this dance. The music is fast and light, but above all fun. Perez Prado is without doubt the father of the 'Mambo'. In 1943 he introduced the dance in the La Tropicana nightclub in Havana. The Mambo and Salsa started out of the same Latin-Cuban background and have therefore a lot in common. Perez Prado, born in Cuba but active in Mexico, developed a total concept for the Mambo: the music, the dance steps and the clothing. - MARIJN SIMONS