.
The European premiere of the
Mexican composer's 'Estampas Mexicanas' was a total triumph [...]
The actual performance evoked the
atmosphere and sounds of a Mexican street festival and colourful parades, Aztec
ritual dances based on the flight of the Bird God and the fusion of Indian and
European cultures to provide the distinctive sounds of the Mariachi Bands [...]
Percussion, strings and brass dominated as the music swirled and danced. The
composer beamed with delight when the orchestra played with such enthusiasm,
proficiency and sheer joy. The audience went wild and demanded an encore.
Kerry Stephenson,
Altough the Beethoven Piano
Concerto No. 2 and Brahms Symphony No. 1 were capably performed and enjoyable
to listen to, the highlight of the evening was certainly Elizondo's Estampas
Mexicanas [...] The outset of Estampas makes one immediately aware of the
fantastic colors and rhythms which imbue this work [...]
I was easily won over by
Elizondo's colorful orchestration and rhythmic flair. His gift for melody was
faithfully executed by the orchestra members [...] the winds seemed to provide
an endless flow of sunshine that reflected the Latin American origins of the
musical landscape [...]
The MITSO percussion played with
characteristic vitality and brought to life a dimension of music that is so
rarely heard in "traditional" European classical music. Elizondo
received a standing ovation from members of the audience who clearly enjoyed
the piece as much as I did.
Thomas Chen, The Tech (December 12, 1995,
U.S.A.)
Brentwood Youth Orchestra has not
earned such a rapturous reception from its audience since the days when the
programmes regularly ended with a selection from West Side Story [...]
Coincidence or not it was one of the rhythms that Bernstein borrowed for
Estampas Mexicanas is exactly
the kind of music to challenge and then captivate young players as well as
audiences. The orchestra rose wonderfully to the challenge [...] The rare
encore was well deserved by the orchestra, composer and conductor alike. The
rest of the programme was eclipsed by this ending.
Peter Andrews,
[...] when one of Elizondo's
compositions is performed today by the San Jose Symphony at the San Jose
America Festival, he'll not only become the youngest living composer to ever
have his music played by the orchestra, but he'll also be bolstering the bridge
the symphony has been trying to forge with the Latin American comunity. [...]
Leonid Grin, the Russian-born conductor of the San Jose Symphony, said [...]
Elizondo's piece [...] is symbolic of the many cultures that call the
Jeordan Legon,
Jose Luis Elizondo [...]
enriches Mexican classical music with his compositions, now performed at venues
in
Cecilia Ester Castaneda, Diario de Juarez
(September 30, 1997, Mexico)
Estampas Mexicanas [...] is
based on national folk music with clear references to the style of Silvestre
Revueltas, Carlos Chavez and Manuel M. Ponce. [...] It is a fascinating piece,
specially the second movement. It departs from the classical vision of
"tourist"
Radko Tichavsky, Diario de Monterrey (December
12th, 1996, Mexico)
Mexican composers Arturo
Márquez, Samuel Zyman, José Elizondo, Leonardo Velázquez, Jorge Córdova,
Eduardo Angulo y Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras triumph in the American capital city
[...] This work [Estampas Mexicanas] demonstrates that Mexican nationalistic
music is still alive and well.
Jose Alfredo Paramo, El Economista (
Elizondo presents in
"Estampas Mexicanas" a convincing platform for understanding and
experiencing Mexican folklore. The carefully crafted composition presented a
hommage, as well as a snapshot of the evolution of nationalistic music in
Mario Montenegro Uribe, El Informador
(December 12th, 1996, Mexico)