program notes by composition > D > Danzon No. 2
Danzón No. 2
Arturo Márquez, arranged by Oliver Nickel
Danzón No. 2 is one of the most popular and frequently performed orchestral Mexican contemporary classical music compositions. It was commissioned by the National Autonomous University of Mexico and was premiered in 1994 in Mexico City by the Orchestra Filarmonica de la UNAM. The rhythmic interest in the piece is maintained through the use of varying accents and tempi. This staple of contemporary Mexican music literature expresses and reflects on the dance style named danzón, which has its origins in Cuba but is a very important part of the folklore of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The music was inspired by a visit to a ballroom.
Arturo Márquez Navarro (b. 1950) is a composer of orchestral music who uses musical forms and styles of his native Mexico.