Ortiz’s Dzonot is “Glittering,” “Dazzling,” and “Full of Sonic Imagery”
Gabriela Ortiz’s new cello concerto Dzonot, composed for soloist Alisa Weilerstein and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has dazzled critics on both US coasts after first performances in Los Angeles and New York.
Gabriela Ortiz's Dzonot has garnered critical acclaim for its ambition and potential to become a part of the cello concerto repertoire, following premieres in Los Angeles, New York, and Bogotá with soloist Alisa Weilerstein, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
Critics have noted Dzonot’s suitability for a permanent place among major concertos. Musical America praised the substantial new piece as a “credible bid for acceptance into the small group of major cello concertos,” underscoring "expressive intensity” and freshness of voice. Similarly, the New York Times highlighted Ortiz's ability to create concertos that are both exciting to play and easy to love, pointing to her ability to write works that are “bound to become classics.”
Dzonot is inspired by the the cenotes of the Yucatán peninsula, an intricate system of subterranean rivers and caves. Listeners were captivated by the concerto’s rich evocation of the natural world. The Los Angeles Times noted, the concerto travels "above and below ground, down to the rivers in deep caverns and up in the skies." Bachtrack remarked: “I can't remember when I've heard music that captured not only the natural world but an emotional response to it so vividly.”
Read on for more press highlights.
New York Times
“evocative ... plush, flowing phrases pierced with soft, Debussyan light … brooding double-stops and expressive melodies … cosmic”
Los Angeles Times
"The concerto is full of sonic imagery that travels above and below ground, down to the rivers in deep caverns and up in the skies."
Musical America
“expressive intensity ... a distinctively fresh voice.”
“This challenging, engaging, and substantial work in four movements makes a credible bid for acceptance into the small group of major cello concertos.”
New York Magazine
"glittering, complex, and ornate"
"Ortiz’s music penetrates into those underground lairs, sounding out the mythologies they incubate, the creatures they nurture, and the cacophonous threat from tourism, roads, and industry.”
Seen and Heard International
"bold, absolutely dazzling for the orchestra"
"Dzonot ... is musically about passion, color and the kind of energy that only the most intrepid of soloists have the courage and chops to take on."
Bachtrack
“I can't remember when I've heard music that captured not only the natural world but an emotional response to it so vividly.”
“The first movement, Luz vertical (Vertical Light) ... evokes not only travel through a gorgeous landscape, but the awe it inspires, and manages to populate that landscape with diverse flora and fauna as well.”
> Further information on Work: Dzonot
Photo: Jennifer Taylor
