Pianist Bernardo Jiménez Casillas, who performs on this album, has conducted extensive research on Miramontes, including writing the first biography of the composer for his bachelor's thesis.
Composition History
Some pieces on this album, like Romanza de Elvira and Serenata, were not originally for voice and piano but were adapted from Miramontes' lyrical drama Anáhuac, which premiered in Mexico City in 1918.
Compositional Technique
Miramontes' romanzas are characterized by a tonal language with emotional melodies, clear harmonies, modulations to neighboring keys, and contrasting characters and tempos.
Composition History
The Romanza Malitl was composed in New York during a concert tour where Miramontes participated in a concert-lecture at Columbia University with Nobel Prize winner Gabriela Mistral.
Historical Context
The mazurka genre was popular in Mexican high society even before the Porfirio Díaz era, considered by dance master Domingo Ibarra as one of the most beautiful dances due to its majesty and elegance.
Composer Biography
Arnulfo Miramontes, a Mexican composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and teacher, was born in Tala, Jalisco, and received his musical training in Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, and Berlin.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Miramontes' musical writing constantly looked to the past, remaining faithful to a romantic heritage and a poetic, sometimes nostalgic, tone influenced by the provincial towns of the Porfirian era in Mexico.
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