Mexico City, November 26. “ My dreams are to compose an opera with a libretto that captivates me, a piano concerto, and a second symphony,” shared composer Arturo Márquez in an interview with La Jornada . He won two Latin Grammys for best classical album and best classical composition for “Fandango for Violin and Orchestra.”
"Right now I'm composing a double bass concerto for a young Venezuelan living in Berlin. I have commissions for two years , it could be longer, but I don't want to go any further. I prefer to take things one step at a time and make time to pursue my personal interests. When I accept a work, it's because I already have a path to follow," he adds.
Fandango was commissioned by Anne Akiko Meyers, an American violinist named "The Strad" magazine's commissioning wonder woman. The best part, she says, was having her as a soloist and working with Gustavo Dudamel , director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with whom she has collaborated on other projects and is considered one of the finest performers of his work.
“Dudamel played Danzón No. 2 in his first concert of the season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Akiko Meyers heard it and said, 'I want a violin concerto based on mariachi.' I don't know why she came up with it, but I do know: in Los Angeles, we're very much associated with mariachi.”
