Téenek — Invenciones de Territorio
Gabriela Ortiz (b. 1964)

THE STORY

Composer Gabriela Ortiz is the definition of a global citizen. Born in Mexico to two prominent musicians, she grew up surrounded by the vibrant music of her homeland. She studied music at the Conservatoria Nacional de Música and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, then continued her education in Europe, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the City University of London. Her music has been performed and commissioned by orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Téenek is a language spoken in the region of Huasteca in Mexico. The word translates to “local man.” Ortiz expands this concept to the idea of human beings belonging to Earth as a whole. Ortiz says, “All of us belong to the same planet, all of us share the same land, all of us have to take care of our planet… it makes me think a lot about why we have borders between countries… but [ultimately], we are human beings.”

Téenek — Invenciones de Territorio (“Inventions of Territory”) was commissioned and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel in 2017. Dudamel called the work “one of the most brilliant I have ever directed. Its color, its texture, the harmony and the rhythm that it contains are all something unique. Gabriela possesses a particular capacity to showcase our Latin identity.”

LISTEN FOR

• The sounds of a massive percussion section, including many Latin instruments like the güiro, claves, crotales, and maracas
• The rhythmic groove that is established at the beginning of the work, which is passed around to different sections of the orchestra throughout the piece
• Strings ascending and descending their full range
• The appearance of a hymn with chattering interludes from percussion and flutes

INSTRUMENTATION

Two piccolos, two flutes, alto flute, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, celesta, piano, strings