Listen to an excerpt of this piece on YouTube
Instrumentation
2 Flutes (2nd doubling Piccolo)
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
4 Trumpets in Bb
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
Timpani (3), also Crotales
Percussion 1: Tubular Bells, Ratchet, Vibraphone, 3 Tom-toms, Snare Drum , Suspended Cymbal, Gran Cassa
Percussion 2: Crash Cymbals, Triangle, Tam tam, Gran Cassa, Snare Drum
Strings
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Los Magos del Silencio, ballet for children.
Duration: 50 minutes (staged ballet) / 24 minutes (orchestral suite).
We are in the imaginary village of San Miguel de los Tambores. A town of artists and music lovers who, one day, bear witness to the eruption of the Burundrún, a volcano from where a horrendous creature emerged and later fed on all musical instruments, plunging the village into a profound and prolongued silence. One day however, José María, our hero, gathered all hidden instruments and gave them to every villager. And so they marched and played, until they managed to expell the Ogre after performing the most beautiful melody that has ever been played.
Yvonne von Möllendorff, coreographer, Hernán Garrido-Lecca, writer and Jimmy López, composer joined their talents in order to create an original ballet for children called 'Los Magos del Silencio' ('The Wizards of Silence') which is based on the equally titled story by Hernán Garrido-Lecca. The creative process was long and demanding and it started in June 2003 and ended in may 2004.
The Embassy of Finland in Peru, Universidad San Martín de Porres and Banco Interamericano de Finanzas (BIF) gave their support for the realization of this project. This work was premiered in May 2004 and was staged 15 times at Teatro Segura in Lima, Perú to a total of ten thousand spectators. Guest artists for this event included Leo McFall (England) conductor, Piotr Orzech (Poland) violin and Sami Junnonen (Finland) flute, all of whom worked with an orchestra of young and professional Peruvian musicians especially gathered for this occasion.
A Suite of this work, which includes many of the most important moments of the ballet, was premiered in 2006 by the composer conducting the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru. The full ballet lasts about 50 minutes while the Suite last 24 minutes.
Jimmy López © 2006