THE SECOND PIANO CONCERTO
"MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD"
The Project
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Hidalgo with his banner showing the Virgin of Guadalupe |  |
Francisco I. Madero, leader of the Revolution of 1910 |
This is the piece I am currently working on. I started to do sketches for this piece a few years ago but last year, an importante year for Mexico, I decided to push the project to completion. You see, Mexico declared its independence from Spain on the 16th of September 1810, when el Cura Hidalgo made his famous proclamation of independence, known in Mexico as "El Grito". 2010 also marked the Centennial of Mexico's Revolution, an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero to get rid of the dictator Porfirio Diaz and reestablish democracy in the country. Although the year has passed and we are now in 2011, it is my intention to continue the celebration by finishing the piece and recording it with ERM media's Millenium Orchestra so that it can be available to the broad public.
The Piece |
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| Israeli Children Dancing | Mexican Children Dancing |
The piece consists of 3 sections or "movements" titled The Body, The Mind and The Spirit. The second movement is subtitled "Memories of my Childhood", as it contains many references to my upbringing in Mexico City as a Jew, a combination which still draws double takes from people, but which gives me access to a wealth of themes to describe what it was like to grow in Mexico, oh, not so long ago. The initial sketches put it at 26 minutes and it is written in a post-modern idiom which makes it accesible but with some bite. I'll be posting MP3s of the project as it goes along in its development so you can follow it.
The Funding
In order to get this project written and recorded, I am going to need a budget of $45,000 U.S. I have secured the fiscal sponsorship of "Fractured Atlas", a non profit tax-exempt organization which helps artists realize their projects. You can go directly to their website to make a donation by clicking www.fracturedatlas.org/donate/3074. Your donation will be tax deductible to the extent permitted by the law. This is a very secure webiste and any information you give is strictly for the use of this project. You can also contact me directly and talk to me about contributing your time or goods to the project.
We have levels of donations and the information of what they mean can be obtained by contacting me directly and asking for what it means to be a Patron for the Arts or a Music Lover. I will e-mail you a chart of the levels so that you can decide what level suits you best.
We'll keep track of the activity of the project with a graph telling us how close we are to reach our funding goal. The task looks daunting sometimes but with persistance and with the impetus that the piece provides, we will get there.
Here's to a great new work being performed soon to celebrate Mexico and our heritage!