John Carmichael commissioned this work to be premiered October 1, 2015 by the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble under his direction. This performance is from 2017 in Austin Texas, the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, directed by Jerry Junkin.

The original version of 'Méndez' for large brass ensemble was commissioned by Summit Brass and David Hickman, and premiered by Summit Brass under Joseph Parisi in July 2015.

In the middle years of the 20th century, legendary Mexican trumpet virtuoso Rafael Méndez (1906-1981)presented hundreds of trumpet trio concerts with his two sons, Robert and Rafael Jr.

'Méndez' seeks to evoke the atmosphere of those performances and the spirit of the times. It uses as its inspiration five motifs taken from one of the lightest of the Méndez trios, 'The Brave Matador'. To these are added the kind of flourishes that feature in many Méndez compositions and that for many listeners characterise the folk music of Mexico.

This material is embedded in a 12 note theme(Ab Bb Db Gb D Eb E F G C B A) that, in addition to providing significant melodic material, lends the overture a cohesive structure.

Please contact me for scores of either of these works.

Méndez (for Wind Ensemble)

Christopher Marshall