https://lvyao.org/events/dia-de-muertos/

Dia de Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico on and around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (November 1-2). Families create altars, decorated with candles, flowers, water, food, and photos of their deceased family members, to represent love and respect for their ancestors. The celebration typically continues throughout towns and cities with lights, flowers, skeletons, music and parades. Our celebration of this rich cultural tradition opens with Cancion para una Fiesta (“Song for a Party”) by 20th-century Mexican composer Salvador Martínez. This festive and lively work contrasts sharply with a unique arrangement of the traditional Mexican song Cielito Lindo (“Beautiful Little Sky”). We then feature two works arranged by renowned Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov through commissions by the Kronos Quartet. First, Tabú (“Taboo”), one of the most popular songs by Cuban singer and composer Margarita Lecuona, which is especially notable for its complex and exotic dance rhythms; and El Sinaloense (“The Sinaloan”), which has become one of the most recorded pieces of music from Mexico and is often associated with the banda music genre. Our guest soloist is Yamaha artist and Las Vegas native, Alexandria Le, who is making her return engagement with YAO in Franz Liszt’s Totentanz (“Dance of Death”). This dark, dramatic showpiece by the legendary Hungarian piano virtuoso is based on the Gregorian plainchant melody Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”), and is a rich testament to its composer’s obsession with death, so typical of romantic-era artists. We close with one of the most popular contemporary Mexican orchestral compositions, the Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez. This work reflects on a dance style that originated in Cuba, but has roots in the Mexican state of Veracruz, and was inspired by the composer’s visit to a Veracruz ballroom.