HISPANO-MEXICAN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC COLLECTION 6

CHAMBER MUSIC

ANGEL COSMOS
JUAN JOSE DIAZ INFANTE
ARTURO MARQUEZ 

THE “MUSICA DE CAMARA” GROUP

T his is a “group with interdisciplinary origins”, formed by Angel Cosmos (writer, author of works in many fields), Juan José Díaz Infante (photographer and de- signer) and Arturo Márquez (composer and musician). The group came into existence in Mexico in 1984 and has perfomed several times in concert. The premiere of their first eight works -five of which are on this album- was one of the highlights of the 7th International New Music Festival in Mexico (May 16, 1985). The name of the group is also a description of the project: Música de Cámara. Cámara is a play on words meaning both ‘chamber’ and ‘camera’ in Spanish, and the group is always at play with the chamber”-like nature of its music and with the notion of music produced by photographic elements.

Música de Cámara constantly seeks the integration of artistic media and concepts, and it produces works which are musical, photographic, literary, pictoric, theatrical, etc. On this album, the group’s first, there are pieces which include the sound of cameras (as in Sin Título, or ‘Untitled’), but there are also pieces for musical instruments –harp, piano, flute, organ– whose scores are photographic (as in Sólo para Piano, ‘Just for Piano’ and Master Pez). Poesía de la voz, ‘Poetry of the Voice’ is a work for voice. breath and applause, which uses a poem from James Joyce’s book Chamber Music. The album also includes an electronic work performed by the composer Antonio Russek based on the same material used by the group in Sin Título, but with very different re- sults. The Catalonian composer Josep Lluis Berenguer performs Master Pez a piece recorded in Spain- using an organ, a clarinet and a flute. The album concludes with a piece for synthesizer and fireworks (Mascletá y fuga).

The material presented is broad enough to constitute a rich sampling of the group’s range and its enormous ability to forge solid and entertaining interdisciplinary works.

A record such as this one is out of the ordinary. It will surprise, and so will the group it- self as it brings seemingly unrelated disciplines together in a dazzling display of artistic virtuosity.

ANGEL COSMOS DIAZ DE RADA

He was born in Calahorra, Spain, on September 27, 1949. He has a degree in Philosophy and Letters and in Journalism from the University of Friborg, Switzerland. He has been the founder and director of the Didactic Film Contest, in Valencia, Spain (1977-1978). Creator and director of the interdisciplinary Nueva Escritura Collection “, of the Basque publishing house Euskal Bidea: he is the author and actor of happenings and other events. He has published nine books and records (poetry, visual poetry, music, theater, essays, etc.) .

Since 1981 he has lived in Mexico, where he has carried out and promoted a great variety of projects. He is director of Fotozoom magazine since April 1983.

“Poet, inventor of ideas and daring person in charge of some of the most serious undertakings that have taken place in the field of culture in our country in recent years” – as the composer and critic Aurelio Tello recently wrote, with him Outstanding Spanish and Mexican composers have worked. He uses the arts as means, and interdisciplinarity is the objective that has interested him since the end of the ’60s. In the last twenty years he has been the promoter, editor, producer, creator or provocateur of more than eight hundred and fifty objects of his own work and others, individual and collective (from postcards to object-books or artist books, records, posters, sculptures, photographs facilities, etc.).

He is the creator, together with Antonio Russek, of the Hispano-Mexicana Collection of Contemporary Music, within which this album appears.

In March 1988 he was the subject of a tribute in his homeland for his career in the field of culture.

JUAN JOSE DIAZ INFANTE

He was born in Mexico, D.F., on April 19, 1961. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in professional photography in 1982 at the Brooks Institute of Photography, in Santa Barbara, California. He has done important work, both in Mexico and abroad, as a photographer and creative, for firms such as General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Helena Rubinstein, Hewlett Packard, Herman Miller, Kodak, Fuji, Dupont, Christian Dior, Coca Cola.

His editorial work includes: Vogue de México, Expansión, Fotozoom, Arquitecto Magazine, Obras Magazine, Hasselblad Forum Magazine.

His photographic education and extensive knowledge of other disciplines have allowed him to produce works of great visual impact and excellent technical resolution.

He has two published books: “Díaz Infante seen by Diaz Infante on Architecture” and “Towards a Visual Prescription”, a manual of visual methods for the treatment of diseases, which has been published in English, French and German for distribution in Europe and the United States. USA.

He is the creator, along with his wife Jennifer, of The Box “Object Magazine” (on international contemporary art).

ARTURO MARQUEZ NAVARRO

He was born in Alamos. Sonora, December 20, 1950. He began musical studies in the US at age 11; at age 18 he is appointed Director of the Municipal Band of Navojoa in his native Sonora. Two years later he entered the National Conservatory of Mexico. From 1976 to 1979 he is a scholarship holder of the INBA Composition Workshop, where he studies with Héctor Quintanar, Manuel Enriquez, Joaquin Gutiérrez Heras and Federico Ibarra. In 1980 he received a scholarship from the French Government to study for two years in Paris with Jacques Casterède and Ivo Malec.

In the 80’s he has maintained a constant activity as a composer. His works have been performed in most European countries, in the US, in Japan and very frequently in Mexico. He is surely the most important Mexican composer of his generation.

In 1983 he met Angel Cosmos, with whom he has made multiple compositions ever since. Arturo Márquez has often worked with performers, has promoted interdisciplinary teams, and has participated in the development of audiovisual musical courses and activities. He has composed music for film. He owns extensive printed work. And this is the fourth album in which he appears.

Since August 1988 he has lived in Los Angeles, Ca, following the award of the Fulbright scholarship.

HISPANO-MEXICAN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC COLLECTION
6

CHAMBER MUSIC
88
LME-515

SIDE 1

UNTITLED
-chamber music, electroacoustic work-
JUST FOR PIANO
interpretation of Arturo Marquez
-photographic score for piano-
VOICE POETRY
interpretation of the three members of the group
-soloist: Ángel Cosmos-
-voices, breaths, applause, from poem XVII of the book “Música de Cámara”, by James Joyce-
ASA/ISO 100 21°
interpretation of Antony Russell
-chamber music, electroacoustic work-

SIDE 2

MASTER PEZ
interpretation of Lydia Tamayo
-harp and modified harp-
MASTER PEZ
interpreted by Josep Lluís Berenguer
-organ, clarinet, flute-
MASCLETA AND FUGA
interpretation of Arturo Márquez and Samir Menaceri
-synthesizer and fireworks, recorded in Valencia, Spain-

Cover: Photograph of the three members of the “Música de Cámara” Group (ARTURO MÁRQUEZ, JUAN JOSÉ DÍAZ INFANTE, ÁNGEL COSMOS, from left to right).

Production manager: ANTONIO RUSSEK

Director of the collection: ÁNGEL COSMOS

Group “Música de Cámara”

Record No. 6 of the Hispano-Mexican Contemporary Music Collection, published by the CIIMM (Independent Center for Musical and Multimedia Research) of Mexico D.F. Cuautla Street 84, Colonia Condesa.
Tel. 553-74-57.

The edition of this record has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Coordination of Special Projects of the CREA-Verbal Music and Image Program”–, and Mecasistemas, S.A. de C.V.

CONTACT/CONTACTO:

CHAMBER MUSIC
MECASISTEMAS, S.A. DE C.V.
MEDELLIN No. 78-20. FLAT
MEXICO 06700, D.F.
TEL. 525-51-18

LME-515

SPECIAL EMI PRODUCTS

Manufactured in Mexico by: FONOVISA-MELODY, S.A. DE C.V.

THE DISCO IS CULTURE

Gallery: