Mixtli

Program Note

Mixtli (Clouds) is a set of 3 small pieces for Viola and Piano. It was written thanks to a collaboration with costarican pianist Rebeca Ordóñez and costarican violinist/violist Erasmo Solerti who were looking for a piece to premiere in a concert dedicated to the Central American bicentennial.

Clouds played a vital role in the lives of our ancestors. Thanks to their observation skills, they were able to achieve a deep understanding of the nature surrounding them. As a kid, one of the games I played with my cousins and my mom was finding shapes in the clouds. We spent many hours laying on the ground just looking at clouds passing by and changing shapes. 

The first movement is a dance in 5/8 time signature. It begins with a challenging key that will require a skillful violist. The movement explores the range of the Viola, including harmonics and other techniques that require a skillful performer. The second explores the alto range of the Viola while allowing the player to be very expressive, the combination with the piano creates a musical atmosphere representing a gray cloudy day. The third movement is a fast-paced dance that represents a day with different cloud scenes, for example, raining one moment and sunny the next minute.

• Juan Guerra González