Compositions

Mi Piñata, by Luis Ramirez
Performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Gustavo Gimeno
April 27th, 2022
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Canada

Program Notes

This piece is about the empowerment, jubilance, and catharsis in meticulously crafting something whose ultimate purpose is to be destroyed ferociously.

There is something viscerally powerful in the destruction of a beautiful, meticulously crafted creation. While the history and symbolism of the piñata are interesting, this piece is not about that. This piece is about its deeply meaningful presence to a child, focusing on the excitement and anticipation of breaking Mi Piñata.

In the Mexican tradition, the breaking of the piñata is the highlight of any major communal celebration. During the celebration, all the children line up and take turns to strike the piñata, and the moment you receive the stick you are immediately empowered. The anticipation of landing the final blow can feel more meaningful and enjoyable than the delectable reward inside. The moment of destruction is a glorious one - a cathartic experience and an incredible way to release deeply-rooted emotions we otherwise might not know how to address. Piñatas are a certainty in any party or celebration, and this ritual of physical and psychological release leaves an indelible imprint on those who grow up experiencing it.

Mi Piñata captures this powerful sensory and emotional experience from the perspective of a child, for whom it constitutes a kind of focused excitement and exhilaration like no other. The piñata artisans put painstaking work and immense craftsmanship into their products, transforming scraps of cardboard and paper into an exciting shape to be destroyed. I represent this in the music by constructing the entire piece around a single idea, a tiny melodic fragment evoking the folk songs chanted during the breaking of the piñata. The small fragments build up one after another, as the full piñata gradually emerges accompanied by a childlike spirit of anticipation and excitement. Once assembled, the music is festive and jubilant up until the first strike of the stick. Each “hit” that lands increasingly distorts the musical content, morphing into joyous cacophony until there is nothing left but a kaleidoscopic display of colour, candy, and cheers.

The premise of creating something beautiful only to destroy it is counter to the human instinct to preserve and cherish. At the same time, it is an empowering and liberating act akin to what occurs in nature and life: the certainty of the impermanence in all things, even the most beautifully and meticulously crafted. What matters in the end is the community and the joy of being with each other.

Mi Piñata was commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to celebrate their 100th season. The piñata is an icon of Mexican folklore and, for me, a most fitting way to celebrate this incredible achievement.

Composer Biography

Born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Luis Ramirez (b.1992) is a Mexican-Canadian composer with an affinity towards rhythmically colorful textures and visually-evocative sonic worlds, which often incorporate elements of Mexican folklore and a cinematographic approach to musical story-telling. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Composition at York University in Toronto with Randolph Peters, in which he is exploring the digital landscape for music-making and humanity’s often pernicious dynamics with the internet.

Mi Piñata

A story of fear and triumph, of evasion and embrace. 

It begins with a fall through mysterious dimensions of time and space to an unfamiliar place. A glance at your surroundings yields both awe and terror. The walls spring to life with a glistening iridescence. Memories of the past urge you to leave, but you are here for a reason. And so you begin to walk slowly, with trepidation.
When it appears, you are not surprised. It seems as though it had always been there. With the majestic creature in full view your eyes meet. Its kaleidoscopic scales scintillate as it slithers toward you with curiosity. Slowly, with grace and ease, it constricts your body in a warm embrace. Protection, at last.

Unease creeps in as the embrace becomes tighter and painful. Fear and adrenaline course through your veins as you become aware that its gaze has morphed into a malevolent glare. 

Freeing yourself from the creature, you run. As you are being chased, space and time are being distorted. The walls vanish, and the omnipotent beast warps you into an unknown dimension to halt your escape. You find yourself alone, panicked, with all the paths only leading you back to the beginning.

Paralyzing helplessness sets in as you avoid the inevitable, unthinkable truth. There must be another way. Another solution. Another exit. Finally, you give up the fight and accept your reality. 

As you gather strength, a new conviction moves you forward. Invigorated, you start running. You resolve to meet your destiny, no matter the consequences.

In a final act of faith, you reach out your hand.

============================================================

KOATL was inspired by the myth of the mystical feathered snake, a creature that was both revered and feared by mesoamerican civilizations, like the Aztecs (Quetzalcōātl) and the Maya people (K'uk'ulkan). It was seen as a divine creator with a trickster character that connected the underworld, the earth, and the heavens, and which could offer protection if confronted or conquered. In the psychological context, Carl Jung used the symbolism of the serpent to represent the shadow which resides in one’s subconscious, and which must be embraced and integrated to reach one’s highest possible potential. 

The resulting piece is a story about the fears, insecurities, and doubts which we all harbour, and the choice to face them which, at one point or another, we all must make.

Performed by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra with Gary Kulesha.
June 2022, Hamilton ON.

Koatl

Picante, for Symphony Orchestra
By Luis Ramirez
Commissioned and performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Gimeno
June 19th, 2023


Picante follows the masochistic experience of eating spicy food as it takes us on an imaginative journey inside the human body. The entire piece is built around a fiery gesture that builds over time into an explosive climax, before being close-up in a calm state of flavorful enjoyment. This process of being “enchilado” doesn’t have an exact translation in English, and yet, this burning sensation is quintessential in Mexican culture.


The music captures the fascinating process that occurs when eating spicy food: the body perceives the capsaicin molecule as a threat, which sets off a rich microcosm of warnings. Our hearts quicken, we sweat, sniffle, cry, and cough; we shiver, we groan, we scream, and we suffer... All these waves of gestures are imagined in the music and are all signals to get this threat out of your body. Nevertheless, the most crucial reaction is that the brain releases endorphins and dopamine to lessen and alleviate the pain. This particular factor, along with flavor and aroma, is what fuels our incessant consumption of spicy food, and the result is an intriguing exploration of the fine line between pain and pleasure. After all - what is life, if not the search for pleasure amidst the pain?



Picante

Three Paraprosdokians - Luis Ramirez
1. Jamais vu

What is a Paraprosdokian? Fancy word indeed, and yet rather simple: a sentence in which the last part is totally unexpected, making the reader reinterpret the first part. Much easier to understand than to pronounce. Due to its surprising nature it is regularly used for comical purposes, and now that you know its meaning you will notice their often occurrence in conversations; they are everywhere. Phrases like "I have had a perfectly wonderful evening; but this was not it" by Groucho Marx, or "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go" by Oscar Wilde, are classic examples that represent its witty and satirical nature.

The essence and purity of this linguistic wordplay is present as a common structure among the three movements of this work, each one with its particular manner of approaching it. In addition, the three movements connect from top to bottom through a rhythmic pattern they all share. 

1. Jamais vu.  Have you ever repeated a word so many times that you start questioning if it is even a real word? Try it now. "Door". Repeat it several times. Are you sure that is a thing? There is a name for that: Jamais vu. It is a semantic satiation that confuses even the greatest wordsmith. I look for the same effect in the music; the bass line and the chord progression are repeated throughout the entire movement, and the melodies between the clarinet and violin are also being recycled constantly, eventually making you question their meaning. Depending on the context created by the melodies, your ears will shift from a joyful waltz to a jazzy cumbia. And of course  you are not expecting what happens in the last part.

Comissioned by David Wilson for the AugustFest in Brandon, MB.
Premiered on August 12th, 2014.

By Luis Ramirez

Clarinet, Chris Byman.
Violin, Gillian Carrabré
Cello, Ariel Carrabré
Piano, Luis Ramirez

Lorne Watson Recital Hall
Brandon University
Brandon, MB, Canada.


First Paraprosdokian,Jamais vu - Luis Ramirez

Three Paraprosdokians - Luis Ramirez
2. Sock


What is a Paraprosdokian? Fancy word indeed, and yet rather simple: a sentence in which the last part is totally unexpected, making the reader reinterpret the first part. Much easier to understand than to pronounce. Due to its surprising nature it is regularly used for comical purposes, and now that you know its meaning you will notice their often occurrence in conversations; they are everywhere. Phrases like "I have had a perfectly wonderful evening; but this was not it" by Groucho Marx, or "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go" by Oscar Wilde, are classic examples that represent its witty and satirical nature. 
The essence and purity of this linguistic wordplay is present as a common structure among the three movements of this work, each one with its particular manner of approaching it. In addition, the three movements connect from top to bottom through a rhythmic pattern they all share.

2. Sock Take a sock with a pretty drawing on the outside and turn it insideout. It looks terrifying. Those socks that you make your children wear have some seriously disturbing imagery on the inside. Maybe it is the same way in contemporary music; perhaps something nice will appear if we turn those socks inside out.

Please enjoy! I will be honoured if the music moves you  hopefully not away from your seats. 

Comissioned by David Wilson for the AugustFest in Brandon, MB.
Premiered on August 12th, 2014.

By Luis Ramirez

Clarinet, Chris Byman
Violin, Gillian Carrabré
Cello, Ariel Carrabré
Piano, Luis Ramirez

Lorne Watson Recital Hall
Brandon University
Brandon, MB, Canada.


Second Paraprosdokian, Sock - Luis Ramirez

We are always instructed to play the piano with our fingertips, but we never give the other side of our hands a chance! This piece tries to evoke the tenderness, fragility and ingenuousness of the nails' first approach to the piano, resulting in poignant music with a rather delicate character. To me, the musical result is surprisingly accurate to the concept itself of the nails playing piano for the first time, resembling a newborn learning to walk.

For pianists who not only want to play with their fingers, but also want to give their nails a chance!

- Luis Ramirez

Luis Ramirez - First Steps (Luis Ramirez, Piano)

Balaboo

Program notes:

The goal of a speedrun is to reach the end of a video game as fast as possible. This activity is mainly done for competitive purposes, but sometimes the players perform such races in front of an audience as a way of entertainment. The skills of the players that perform these feats are truly admirable, since most times it requires an impressive technique with the game controller in order to achieve pixel-perfect manoeuvres with precise timing in a matter of frames per second.

The best (and certainly most entertaining) way to finish a game quickly is by exploiting imperfectly designed game mechanics and taking advantage of programming mistakes - commonly known as glitches - to trick the game into doing something that it should not do. Finding these glitches can sometimes grant the player the possibility of skipping entire sections of the game, and even warp to the end credits in a matter of seconds, at which point the speedrun is over. 

Symphonic Speedrun presents all these traits in some way - glitches, crashes, distortions, and corruptions. We are not only inside the video game, but there are also elements of the typical atmosphere surrounding speedrun events - laughter from the audience, virtuosic display of the player's inputs, and most importantly the coolness embedded in what they do. The structure of the work imitates the progress in a video game, but just like a speedrun, the music themes skip from one to another abruptly. After a certain point, the game breaks and we plunge into the cracks of circuit boards to discover the beauty of torrents of 1's and 0's. By exploiting some glitches, with some precise movements of the joystic, and exact sequences of button inputs, the music skips to the end credits - a thunderous and euphoric parade of all the levels in the game.

Symphonic Speedrun, For Concert Band

In Mexican slang, the word "chido" [chee-doh] is used to describe when something is cool, awesome, beautiful, interesting, attractive, or exciting.  
This is the story of a man who had everything figured out. He was chido in every definition of the word. He strolled the city with obvious swagger. His words were magnetic. People flocked to hear him speak because he knew everything. His confidence radiated, and no person could even imagine being as interesting and amazing as him. He had the kind of appeal that commanded the attention and admiration of everyone around him.

His life was perfect and he didn’t have a worry in the world. There wasn’t a thing he would change.

And then he woke up.
--

Chido, by Luis Ramirez
Premiered during the Winnipeg New Music Festival 2018 by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
January 30th, 2018
Centennial Concert Hall
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Chido

https://laboratorioescenicoexperimental.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/sylvan-tv/

Sylvan

Three Paraprosdokians - Luis Ramirez

3. ColorShift

What is a Paraprosdokian? Fancy word indeed, and yet rather simple: a sentence in which the last part is totally unexpected, making the reader reinterpret the first part. Much easier to understand than to pronounce. Due to its surprising nature it is regularly used for comical purposes, and now that you know its meaning you will notice their often occurrence in conversations; they are everywhere. Phrases like "I have had a perfectly wonderful evening; but this was not it" by Groucho Marx, or "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go" by Oscar Wilde, are classic examples that represent its witty and satirical nature.

The essence and purity of this linguistic wordplay is present as a common structure among the three movements of this work, each one with its particular manner of approaching it. In addition, the three movements connect from top to bottom through a rhythmic pattern they all share.

3. ColorShift
A color-shift is a common effect in video editing where the red, green, and blue color channels of a frame get shifted apart from each other, which is analogous to the construction of this work. Most of this piece is written using a single, long melodic line based only on seven pitches. However, instead of a monotonous sound, the line fluctuates at different rates between each instrument, phasing back and forth from unison to a kaleidoscopic complexity. Despite being only one line, these shifts result in a much more rhythmical and groovy sound than you would expect. Therein lies the paraprosdokian effect.

Commissioned by David Wilson for the AugustFest in Brandon, MB.
Premiered on August 12th, 2014.

By Luis Ramirez

Clarinet, Chris Byman.
Violin, Gillian Carrabré
Cello, Ariel Carrabré
Piano, Luis Ramirez

Lorne Watson Recital Hall
Brandon University
Brandon, MB, Canada.

Paraprosdokian No. 3 - ColorShift

Do you have a Facebook? The Internet is my favorite place for activities. Sometimes I forget my password. I like to purchase things on Amazon.com. I log in to Facebook using my password. What is your favorite website? I have to use a password to log on to the Internet. Do you ever use the Internet to look at pictures? After all of us are dead our content will last forever on the World Wide Web! That's why I love the Internet. Sometimes I log on to the Internet to look at pictures. Do you have a Facebook? Facebook is a website on the Internet. I log in to my Facebook with a password. I love the Internet. 
- Poppy

Jaimie Rose, soprano
Luis Ramirez, piano

The Internet

The endling - Luis Ramirez
For Soprano Sax, Melodica, two cellos, piano, and tape

The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō was a small bird endemic from Hawaii, which became extinct in the late 1980s. However, before the last one died its song was recorded. This is the song of an endling, the final member of a species asking to no one: “Hey, where are we all?” 
It is a male calling for a mate that will never come. 
I wrote an elegy to accompany this bird, as it is falling into oblivion.


Performed by the Brandon University New Music Ensemble, during the Winnipeg New Music Festival 2017
Alanna Hunter, cello
Mabel Contreras, cello
Mariana Castro, melodica
Luke Parnell, soprano sax
Luis Ramirez, piano

The Endling

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez
1. Wheatfield

Greg Hay, viola
Donna Laube, piano

Program notes:

1. Wheatfield 
A serene and melancholic landscape of flowing wheat and dancing clouds filled with energy, that get prematurely subdued. 

---
Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. 

This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. 

Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. 
---
Augustfest 2019
Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB
August 11, 2019

Azure - 1. Wheatfield

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez
2. Whiteout

Greg Hay, viola
Donna Laube, piano

Program notes:

2. Whiteout
A serene and melancholic landscape of flowing wheat and dancing clouds filled with energy, that get prematurely subdued. 
---
Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. 

This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. 

Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. 
---
Augustfest 2019
Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB
August 11, 2019

Azure - 2. Whiteout

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez
3. Borealis

Greg Hay, viola
Donna Laube, piano

Program notes:

3. Borealis
The landscape is left in a bleak and sorrowful state, and as the snow continues to fall, iridescent snowflakes coalesce with the scintillating beauty of northern lights in the sky.
---
Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. 

This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. 

Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. 
---
Augustfest 2019
Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB
August 11, 2019

Azure - 3. Borealis

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez
4. Sunglow

Greg Hay, viola
Donna Laube, piano

Program notes:

4. Sunglow
A slowly rising sun turns the landscape into a shifting gradient of light and warmth, constantly increasing in energy, brightness, and life. 
*This movement uses a version of the traditional Métis fiddle tune Red River Jig, recorded by Winnipeg fiddler Reg Bouvette.
---
Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. 

This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. 

Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. 
---
Augustfest 2019
Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB
August 11, 2019

Azure - 4. Sunglow

#90secondMusic

NanoTrek no. 1 for String Quartet

Part of a song a day challenge

NanoTrek no. 1, Jungle

Habanero, for saxophone quartet

Part of a song a day challenge

Habanero

Short spicy Rumba

Part of a song a day challenge

Pachanga

Pianist. Composer. Conductor. Musicker.

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