ARTURO MÁRQUEZ

In his music, contemporary Mexican composer Arturo Márquez enriches the modern music language with Mexican folk song motifs, traditional dance rhythms and unforgettable tunes. The composer’s name has become world-famous with his 1994 Danzón No. 2, especially after the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, one of the most famous conductors of our time, included the symphonic dance in the repertoire of the orchestra’s 2007 tour of Europe and the USA. Márquez’s fascination with Caribbean music is not limited to Cuban danzón. The symphonic dance Conga del Fuego Nuevo is equally striking and characteristic. It is a joyful Cuban ritual dance characterised by a fast tempo, rhythmic playfulness, a festive and uplifting mood and a characteristic percussion part. The composition aptly embodies the title Fuego Nuevo, meaning ‘new fire’.

Márquez’s temperamental composition is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Modestas Barkauskas.