The Houston Symphony is celebrating Día de los Muertos--Day of the Dead--with a multimedia concert featuring music by Mexican composer Juan Trigos and an animated film set in the time of the Mexican Revolution.
Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto (sorry, no Andrés Orozco-Estrada this time) will lead the Houston forces in Trigos' Ofrenda a los Muertos (Offering to the Dead) during a screening of La Triste Historia on November 1, 2 and 3 at Jones Hall. The program also holds music of Mexican composers Silvestre Revueltas and José Moncayo.
La Triste Historia tells the dreamlike tale of two young lovers, separated by death during the Mexican Revolution, who later reunite through the celebration and ceremony of Day of the Dead.
Trigos collaborated with film director Ben Young Mason and executive producer Duncan Copp to bring this unique multimedia project to life.
In a video about the making of La Triste Historia, Trigos said that he was influenced by a number of composers and musical styles as he wrote music that evoked the star-crossed lovers' story. "You have some Indian music, black music, some Bach, some Stravinsky...and voilà," he said. "It is very tender, very happy and very sad, all together."
El Día de los Muertos is an annual tradition in Mexico where people honor and remember the lives of loved ones who have passed away. It's believed that on the first two nights of November, spirits can come back to walk the earth again. Elaborate ofrendas (altars) with favorite items from the person's life are constructed in homes and cemeteries as a way to attract and invite such spirits.
The Houston Symphony has partnered with the Mexican Consulate of Houston to present a Día de los Muertos altar exhibit in Jones Hall during the holiday weekend. The opening ceremony will take place on October 30 at 6:30 p.m. Concert goers can view the exhibit starting 90 minutes before each La Triste Historia performance.
For more information about this and other upcoming concerts, please visit houstonsymphony.org.
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