The work “Pierrot Microbusero” by the Mexican composer Aarón González Hernández, will be performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, one of the main stages for orchestral music in the world, as part of the show prepared by the Constantinides New Music Ensemble for in April, in which the author creates a playlist as if he were a minibus driver.
Aarón González Hernández, originally from Puebla, and a graduate of the Bachelor of Music from the University of the Americas Puebla, is currently receiving a scholarship from the Louisiana State University (LSU) where he is studying the second year of the Master’s Degree in Musical Composition under the tutelage by Dr. Mara Gibson.
The composer shared that his work will be performed together with fellow composers from LSU and members of the Constantinides New Music Ensemble as part of a concert scheduled for April 2022. “For me, this concert represents a lot and I am very happy, this is a small step in a whole career that I want to build, I am overwhelmed by the opportunity that this represents for my professional future”, he highlighted.
Regarding his composition “Pierrot Microbusero”, the UDLAP graduate highlighted that his piece is contextualized in two parts, firstly, it responds to the work “Pierrot Lunaire” by Arnold Schoenberg, whose ensemble consisted of flute, clarinet, violin , cello and piano, “that was the standard that was implemented throughout the 20th century and that was developing and having certain modifications. Currently, the ensemble that I present is an extended version of it with flute, clarinet, string quartet, piano and percussion”, explained Aarón González.
Second, he shared that it is important to understand the concept of the minibus, which is a common means of public transport in Latin America, in which the person who drives it, “the minibus driver”, has a very particular playlist to liven up his workday.
“’Pierrot Microbusero’ was created under the premise that as a composer I would be the microbusero of all the people who will experience this particular work.
“Therefore, using a set from the Pierrot ensemble, the piece is intended to be an amalgamation of multiple styles commonly associated with pop/jazz music. Especially those that can be found in Latin America,” he explained.
Regarding the creative process of this piece, he shared that he made this work in particular to be able to participate in the selection of compositions for this concert. “I had been developing the concept of the work for a few months before, trying to implement Latin American music in an academic-traditional ensemble, all those sketches that I made before, allowed me to finish this work in four days,” he said.
Finally, he concluded by mentioning that the ultimate goal of his composition “is really to erase this division between what is popular and academic music”, this time in a proposal that splices the primary elements of each genre that creates something new.
Currently, due to his stay in the United States, Aaron González Hernández is coordinator of the composition seminar at LSU and assistant to the coordinator of the Constantinides New Music Ensemble. It should be noted that during his stay at UDLAP he was part of the UDLAP Artistic Scholarship program, which has benefited young artists who, like Aaron González, stand out for their talent and commitment to the arts.