Germán Toro Pérez
Rulfo/ecos II
Duration: 9'
Instrumentation details:
violin
viola
violoncello
Rulfo/ecos II
Translation, reprints and more
Germán Toro Pérez
Rulfo/ecos II
Available digitally
Orchestration: für Streichtrio und Elektronik
Type: Dirigierpartitur
Sample pages
Audio preview
Work introduction
«Rulfo/voces I» is the first part of a cycle of five pieces for violin, viola, violoncello and electronics after the work of the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo (1917–1986). His work, consisting of a novel and 17 short stories, depicts rural Mexico at the time of the Mexican Revolution as a world marked by hopelessness and solitude. His poetic language, rough, unadorned and of deep musicality is language of myth, language of remembrance.
The pieces were initially intended as studies on melodic writing in view of the later music theatre work «Journey to Comala». «Rulfo/ecos II» combines the fragmentary structure of the preceding pieces with composed echoes and other forms of resonance in the electronics. Here, the voice of Juan Rulfo himself reading his short story «No oyes ladrar los perros» («You Don't Hear the Dogs Barking») is triggered by the instrumental sound.
The piece was first performed by Trio EIS, Vienna at the Festival Wien Modern 2006 in the Ruprechtskirche: Ivana Pristašová, violine, Petra Ackermann, viola, Roland Schueler, violoncello and Germán Toro Pérez, electronics.
What is necessary to perform this work?
Equipment:
Computer with 2-channel sound interface and software Max
Mixing desk: 8 in/2(7) out
2 loudspeakers LS1, LS2 on the ground
5 loudspeakers LS1–2 on stands
Note: for a single performance of «Rulfo/ecos II» LS3–7 are optional. In a performance of the full cycle (5 pieces) they are necessary.
3 microphones on stands (1, 2, 3)
3 contact microphones (4, 5, 6)
The electronics consists of a patch for the software Max and will be provided by the composer on request (toroperez[at]aon.at).
The document «REII_Performance Instructions_2023» contains detailed information about the electronics.