Wilfrido Terrazas: The Torres Cycle

Mexican Composer Wilfrido Terrazas's seven-part album-length work, The Torres Cycle, explores ritual and indigenous tradition from his native Mexico. Rich in alternative notation, structured improvisation, and spatialized live performance techniques, Terrazas questions social connection and the mysterious relationship between tradition, history, and the present. 

Funded by the Hellman Foundation, Terrazas approached Percussionist Rebecca Lloyd-Jones to contribute to two compositions on the album, Tótem I, Camino sobre la tierra for oboe and percussion, and Torre del este, for percussion trio. 

Entrenched in the tradition of improvisation, the notation for Tótem I, Camino sobre la tierra (performed with Colombian oboist Juliana Gaona) acts as a guide for form and duration, partial moments of pitch and synergy between the forces of percussion and oboe, but primarily functions and draws its beauty from the journey and agency of the performers who are bringing the work to life the work. 

Torre del este, for percussion trio, takes on a similar persona. Again, Terrazaz gives form and intermittent points of connection. Yet, the colors and energies are brought to fruition through the work of Rebecca Lloyd-Jones and American percussionists Cory Hills and Michael Jones. 

"Tótem I, Camino sobre la tierra (2019), track 2, roughly translates to ‘I walk on the earth’ and is more introspective. Soft gong chimes followed by silence open this, creating a mystical and exotic feeling. The oboe enters with long, mournful tones that bend upward in pitch. The percussion continues independently, allowing the oboe to continue the exploration of an unknown emotional terrain. At length, a drum beat is heard as the oboe line turns shrill, producing a sense of distant menace. A flurry of oboe runs and percussion sounds follow, bringing Coltrane briefly to mind. The oboe ceases and soft percussive notes fade quietly to the finish. In Camino sobre la tierra it is clear that the most exotic direction is inward." - Review 

Rebecca Lloyd-Jones is featured on: 

Track 2: Tótem I, Camino sobre la tierra (oboe and percussion duet) 

Track 3:Torre del este (percussion trio)

Watch the album launch online: https://vimeo.com/795449852

Album cover reproduced with permission.