Chicago Sinfonietta's Día de los Muertos Concert Set for 11/1

The Chicago Sinfonietta, under the leadership of Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, will present Día de los Muertos at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Chicago on Tuesday, November 1, at 7:30 pm. The concert will be conducted for the second year in a row by Maestro Hector Guzman, Music Director of the Plano, Irving, and San Angelo Symphonies and Conductor Emeritus of the Filarmonica de Jalisco in Mexico. The orchestra will be joined by special guests Denis Azabagic, guitar, and Eugenia Moliner, flute.

"Guest-conducting the Chicago Sinfonietta in 2010 was one of my most memorable highlights" said Maestro Guzman. "The combination of an outstanding orchestra, exciting music and a fabulous audience provided a very special evening. I look forward to the concert once again and to celebrate, with great music, one of Mexico's best known traditions."

All seats for this special holiday celebration are priced at $15, with children and student pricing only $10, making it the perfect family event.

Leading off the concert is the magnificent Don Giovanni overture by Mozart. The famous D minor opening announces the ghostly apparition of the "Commendattore" stone statue and moves from an ominous beginning to a happier atmosphere in one of Mozart's most original scores, reflecting both the sorrow and the fondness of remembering departed loved ones.

The concert continues with Three Mexican Waltzes by Mexican composer Gory Cortez. Cortez, originally from the state of Jalisco in Mexico, composed a series of chamber pieces for violin, later arranged for string quartet by Yuri Kassian, member of the Jalisco Philharmonic. Marila and Un Cielo para Ti are titles dedicated to women and Jalisco de Mis Amores is a piece evoking the rhythms of popular Jalisco dances.

Arturo Marquez wrote a number of danzones. His most famous one was written for large orchestra (Danzon No. 2 was performed by the Chicago Sinfonietta at last year's Día de los Muertos concert). The charming Danzon No. 3, in contrast, was written for small orchestra and with solo parts for flute and guitar. The rhythm of the danzon is ever present and equally exciting as the small orchestra sound, providing the piece with its own peculiar personality. Guitarist Denis Azabagic and flutist Eugenia Moliner join the orchestra on this piece.

The guitar is one of the instruments most widely used in Spanish and Mexican culture. The Concierto de Aranjuez by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo has remained, to this day, the best known and the most beloved of guitar concertos. The exquisite orchestration, the spectacular use of the capabilities of the guitar, and the lovely themes continue to make this one of music's most admired masterpieces. Denis Azabagic is featured on guitar.

Ocho por Radio by Silvestre Revueltas concludes the concert. Written for eight players, it was widely used by Mexican radio stations as their signature sign-off music. Revueltas music is poignant, fun, and rhythmically complex and Ocho por Radio is no exception. It provides a fittingly celebratory note to the evening.

All tickets are $15 / $10 children and students. Tickets can be purchased at www.chicagosinfonietta.org or by calling 312-236-3681 ext. 2.