«An Enchanting Ritual Through Nature’s Forces»
Work: Mater Natura
Composer: Juan Arroyo
Duration: 23 minutes
Instruments: Soloists : fl, sax, pno, perc – Orch : 2.2.2.0 / 2.2.0.1 / 2 perc & strings
On the occasion of the celebrations for the bicentennial of Peru’s Independence, as part of my artistic residency with the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru and in partnership with the 2e2m ensemble, I composed an orchestral fresco titled Mater Natura. This work, composed of four movements for four solo musicians, orchestra, and electronics, takes the form of a hybrid concerto grosso. The solo instruments are the flute, saxophone, percussion, and piano. Each of these movements, associated with an element of classical theory, is composed around a predominant timbre or tonic timbre, that of one of the solo instruments. This tonic timbre is metamorphosed by its interaction with other timbres of the orchestra and electronics. The orchestra is hybridized with a setup composed of transducers and membrane percussion instruments, implemented on stage. This technique, unique to my writing, allowed me to erase the boundaries between electronic sounds and instrumental sounds by merging them into a single space: that of the orchestra. Mater Natura is dedicated to the conductor Léo Margue and the 2e2m ensemble. It was created through the collaboration of the orchestras of Pôle Supérieur 93, Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt, and the 2e2m ensemble. The composition of this piece was supported by the aid for writing an original musical work from the French Ministry of Culture in 2024.