​​​AVE MARIA
4:00 for treble chorus,piano or harp accomp.
Also for chorus and chamber ensemble
Widely-performed composer Miguel Del Aguila’s setting of the Ave Maria text is adapted from a section of his Choral Suite from the Opera “Time and Again Barelas”. This work follows the traditional Latin text of the Hail Mary prayer.  The music is soft, serenely expressive and with a mysterious character given by the two unlikely chords that support the main theme based on a tri-tone. Surprisingly, he makes this tri-tone interval, usually associated with tension, sound soothing, and easy to sing and remember.  Since its premiere in Albuquerque, NM in 2006, critics have called it “hauntingly beautiful” and “a little jewel”.

 

BARROQUEADA
piano trio suite for violin, cello and piano. 18 min. was written in 2020.
also version for violin, French horn and piano.
It was commissioned by Ted Viviani for the Eroica Trio who recorded in 2021 and released it on its 2022 album Barroqueada. The work is scheduled to premiere November 2022 by the Reverón Trio. The eight movements are unified by an overall structure which includes an introduction, a coda and the Sarabande as the dramatic center of the work.
1. Preludio en Candombe
2. Pavana
3. Milonga
4. Samba Corrente
5. Pasapié
6. Sarabanda Rota
7. Tango Intermezzo
8. Jiga Frenética
Barroqueada is a contemporary interpretation of the Baroque suite. Each movement blends elements from the 16th. Century counterpart with contemporary Latin idioms and dances. This somewhat irreverent, fresh and more dramatic music – orchestrated for a very traditional ensemble as is the piano trio – seeks to make a social comment about the peripheral acceptance of Latin elements in contemporary American concert music: While many listeners accept Irish/Scottish Jigs or German Allemandes as mainstream, non-ethnic music, many are shocked to hear a piano trio perform a suite made out of Afro-American Latin Dances such as Candombe, Samba and Tango.
Miguel del Aguila: “The almost 400 year old Baroque Suite stands as an example of how classical music was able to integrate music from different cultures, social classes, ethnicities and styles into one coherent work. Popular dances of humble folk origins became with time fashionable aristocratic dances and finally an instrumental genre that enriched the classical music tradition to later stifle and fall out of fashion. Just as it happened with the Baroque suite before being revived by scholars as an historical genre, our society and classical music traditions stifles when we stop incorporating new idioms and cultural expressions into the main stream of American contemporary music. Musically, the texture is always thin often making rhythm the most important part of the music.

BOLIVIANA Written in 2008, it was commissioned by Cuarteto Latinoamericano with a grant from The Peter S. Reed Foundation to be premiered by the quartet and  Manuel Barrueco. The three movements are highly descriptive. As their titles suggest, there is a protagonist and a physical Space: The Bolivian “altiplano”. As I was writing this music I could actually see, get acquainted with, and relate closely to this specific person wondering in the desolated landscape of Bolivia’s highlands. I never met this person and have no idea why it was there. In the music, this protagonist’s voice becomes that of the guitar.
I. Alegre
This first movement serves as a short introduction to the work, setting the place and time in the South American Altiplano. This theme will later return in an expanded form to close the work in the 4th movement. The mood is bright and cheerful. It’s the beginning of a new day and a new journey.
II. Returning Home Under the Rain
(Regresando a casa bajo la lluvia)
The Traveler is on his long journey home. He is tired and lonely as he walks under freezing rain. The music portrays here the general mood, the landscape. The listener sees the action from a distance.
III. Lost My Way in Darkness
(Me perdí en la oscuridad)
Now, the entire ensemble becomes the travelers’ own intimate feelings, his own voice (still mainly played by the guitar). The sky becomes dark and he loses his way. He feels that in the same way, he has lost his way in life and that this is the reason that made him undertake this long journey home: to find himself again.
VI. And the Sun Came Out – (Y el sol salió)
Finally the clouds dissipate and the sun comes out brighter than ever. He can now see home in the distance. The music/journey is filled with optimism and excitement as the travelers know that everything will be fine now that he is back home where he is anxiously expected.
The musical language in this work uses elements from Andean folklore and the string instruments are often imitating some traditional instruments Latin American instruments like  Quenas,  Charangos, Bombos and other percussion instruments. The writing for the strings and guitar often calls for unusual techniques and can be demanding and virtuosistic at times.

BROKEN RONDO  Op. 103 (Rondó roto)
for English Horn and Orchestra
Also EH and concert band and EH and piano versions.
duration: 11:00 – Written 2010
orchestra:  Piccolo, Clarinet, Bassoon, 2 horns, Timpani, 1 percussion, harp and strings
Broken Rondo is a one movement English horn concerto. The work begins with a slow introduction where the E. horn, aided by the strings and clarinet, sings quasi  free cadenzas and arabesques setting a clam, somewhat nostalgic mood. Soon, the recurring Rondo theme begins. This simple, upbeat modal theme drives the piece forward with an ostinato rhythm of Andean character.  The light, dance-like theme turns heavy and dramatic until the rondo is interrupted and collapses. The horn finishes the piece with a slow, poignant  extended cantilena as the piece disappears in darkness.
The orchestration is light, bright and always focused on the solo instrument. The word “broken” of the title suggests not only the fact that the rondo form breaks towards the end, but it also implies an unexpected emotional struggle and a  fracture from which the piece never recuperates.
The work was commissioned by Johanna Cox with a grant from the University of Oklahoma Research Council and from Mr. Carl Rath. The work is dedicated to Johanna Cox who premiered it  June 26, 2010 in Norman, Oklahoma during the International Double Reed Society Conference with the IDRS Orchestra under conductor David Lockington.

CHARANGO CAPRICCIOSO  Op. 90
for string quartet and piano 11:00
Also piano 4-hands, 2vls, vla, 2 cellos version.
Commissioned by the Austin Chamber Music Center where it was premiered on July 11 2006 by Cuarteto Latinoameriocano joined by Felicity Coltman, Heather Coltman and Margaret Coltman. The work opens with a mysterious theme, which – in an unintelligible tongue – seems to invite us to a remote place high in the Andes. The piano and later the solo viola take us to a quiet beautiful landscape where soon the solo cello meditates about the sad events that took place there starting with the Spanish conquest. A charango (suggested by the piano) introduces an Inca-inspired upbeat theme that after dancing through shifting rhythms becomes obsessed. At this point, the “unintelligible” theme returns with a new, almost disturbing character. Before the dance flies out of control, the solo cello reappears with the meditative theme as distant bells (played by the piano) restore the peace. “I tried to balance the massive sound of piano-four hands with that of the strings by separating them as two different elements; and at times by opposing them. When playing together, the strings part is written with big strokes, in an almost orchestral fashion”.

CLOCKS Op. 58
for string quartet and piano
1.   Shelves full of Clocks
2.   Midnight Strikes
3.   The Old Clock’s Story
4.   Sun Dial 2000 B.C.
5.   Romance of the Swiss Clock and the Old Clock
6.   The Joy of Keeping Time
Written in 1998, Clocks was commissioned by the Ventura Chamber Music Festival. It was premiered on May 9, 1998 by Cuarteto Latinoamericano and Miguel del Aguila in Ventura, California during the Festival. In 2011, Clocks was honored with a Latin Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.  This suite of six movements portrays an imaginary visit to a clock museum, exploring the vast sound world of clocks from the deep resonance of clock towers to the finely calibrated workings of clock mechanics. The final movement, “The Joy of Keeping Time,” takes place after the museum closes and the clocks come to life in an exuberant jam session. The composer writes: “I tried to avoid the piano quintet sound, which is so much associated with the quintets of Brahms and Mozart. The theme of Clocks allowed me to explore different kinds of sound and different ways to produce it by using plucked strings notes for the piano, extreme high registers, and pizzicatos as well as rhythmic ostinatos in the strings. The piano is used as one more instrument of the ensemble and not as the dominating instrument as in the usual quintets. Only in the last movement does the piano take a more dominant role.” Clocks is recorded by Camerata San Antonio on the Bridge CD “Salón Buenos Aires”, by Cuarteto Latinoamericano on Hoot/Wisdom FAU Recordings CD “Clocks”, and by Onix Ensemble on Global Entertainment Recordings CD “El Tiempo”

CONCIERTO CON BRIO
Trio for oboe, clarinet and piano – 18 min.
(Also concerto version available (solo oboe, clarinet and orchestra)
Written in 2022, Concierto con Brio was commissioned by Nancy Ambrose King and Ryan King with funding from the University of Michigan. The trio was premiered in 2022 at Michigan City Chamber Music Festival.
Movements:
I. Interrupted Tango
II. Blue
III. Sambeada

I. The work begins in a bright, rhythmic and lively mood. The music, influenced by Tango and other early South American dances, constantly shifts through irregular rhythms and alternating soloists and orchestra passages. After building up to a dramatic climax and the music is suddenly interrupted giving way to the second movement:
II. Blue. This movement, distant, sensuous and dreamy features elements reminiscent of from 1940’s swing and tango bands. Aguila writes: “With this music I wanted to create the idea of distance in time and space, as if we were listening to music from so far away that we can’t be sure if we are actually hearing it or imaging it. The music is sensuous and often expressionless, as if performed by tired night club musicians late into the night.
III. As if waking up from a dream, the third movement Sambeada is present and lively featuring ireregular ostinato rhythms this time influenced by Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova. The movement, written in 13/16 time signature becomes increasingly lively and joyous until the themes from the first movement returns to close the piece.

CONGA-LINE IN HELL
for chamber ensemble
See program notes under Works for Orchestra: Conga

CRYSTAL FLUTES SWING Op. 83
for flute octet (optional quartet)
Written in 2005 Crystal flutes Swing is dedicated to Kay Logan who commissioned and premiered this work the same year at Chautauqua Festival in New York with the Chautauqua Flute Ensemble in residence lead by flutist Richard Sherman. The music, light and upbeat and is inspired by the swing style of the 1940’s. The lead flute is often not the top voice but it’s hidden in the middle register often playing block harmony, as in barbershop quartet or big band orchestration. Optionally a piccolo flute can double the lead flute part. The main themes are taken from the opera Time and Again Barelas.

CUTTING LIMES
for unaccompanied violin
Cutting Limes (Cortando Limones) for solo violin was was written in 2015. It was commissioned, premiered and recorded by Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. A five minute long work for unaccompanied violin the piece showcases the rhythmic possibilities of the violin through complex chords, harmonics, alternating hands pizzicati and other etended techniques. Built on a simple modal theme the music has an Andean character. The unaccompanied violin imitates a range of Latin American instruments such as charango, quena and Zampoña as well as the singing of a chicharra (Cicada). As I was writing this piece, I kept visualizing the way in which the bow moved along the strings while performing this music. In my mind, it looked as if it was sawing the strings. When I sent the first draft -still untitled- to the violinist, Stephanie soon replied that she was unable to play it because she accidentally cut her fingers while cutting limes. I immediately felt that this was the perfect title of the piece as this dangerous movement of a knife cutting limes was similar to the sawing bow movements I visualized while compositng this work.

DISAGREE! – Op. 116 – 2016 10:30
For clarinet, violin, cello and piano
Also:
DISAGREE! – clarinet, viola and piano
Clarinet, violin and piano
Flute, violin,cello and piano

Overloaded with apparently incompatible thematic material, Disagree is a work about integrating disparity.  By doing this, it celebrates and makes a statement for pluralism in music and in our society. This “disagreement” of thematic material carries over to the performers who as the work progresses seem to increasingly disagree about the piece and its direction as they keep interrupt and at times, mocking each other. After much discrepancy, friendly dialogue and playfulness, a confrontation and a wild chase rushes the piece to its uplifting conclusion as all realize that they have made music together in spite of their differences. The varied thematic material is evocative of South American dances like Malambo, Vals Criollo, Tango and Milonga with occasional neo-romantic outbursts from the pianist, minimalist passages from clarinetist and violinist, pastoral moods and dissonant, polytonal percussive clashes.  The clarinet and piano are often the soloists of the ensemble and dominate the piece with often virtuosistic passages.

ESTUDIO RÍTMICO – for solo, unaccompanied clarinet or sax. 7:00
Written in 2017, Estudio Rítmico is dedicated to clarinetist Javier Vinasco who premiered it the same year in Bogotá, Colombia. The work is a tour de force featuring numerous technical and endurance challenges for the performer. The composer also wrote a shorter version of this work. The music shares thematic material with Aguila’s Wind Quintet No.3, Quinteto Sinfónico and Sonata Flautísima. Versions for solo saxophone and solo flute are also available. The self-published work is recorded on CD Silence by Javier Vinasco.

HALF OF ME Op.70 for piano left hand only – 8:00
Written for the Van Cliburn Foundation for the 2000 International  Piano Competition; Half of me begins with a theme extracted from my previous work: Nocturne and it continues to a faster, more dramatic section. It illustrates the feelings of sadness and loneliness that arise when a loved one is gone. This common empty feeling that “half of yourself is missing” is expressed in the music and in the title of the piece and also in the fact that it’s played with only one hand. The first public performance of this work took place in 2017 at Bloch Hall, West Virginia Univ. by pianist Sornsuang Tangsinmonkong .

HERBSTTAG  (Autumn Day)
For flute, bassoon and piano
Written in 1984, Herbsttag was premiered 1986 at the Austrian Radio Concert Hall (ORF Sendesaal) in Vienna, Austria by American Music Ensemble Vienna (Maura Bayer, Judith Farmer and Gabriela Mossyrsch). Rainer Maria Rilke’s same named poem inspired the work and sets the tone for the entire piece. “Just like Rilke’s poem, my work recreates an existential reflection about loneliness, the end of youth, the passing of time and the meaning of our own existence. At the time I composed this work, in my mid twenties, I was exiled in Vienna, most of my family was in the US and some were still left in Uruguay enduring the horrors of a military regime.  This work stands alone among all my works which are often driven by Latin rhythms, energetic and with clear structure and melodies. In Herbsttag the distant hints of Jazz in the harmonies and in melodic inflections (blue notes, glissandi, bending tones) convey my longing for a distant America and my family there. Herbsttag does not develop or modulate. Just like my feelings while composing it, the work seems caught in a somewhat depressive and hopeless mood from where there is no escape or resolution. The middle section portrays Rilke’s cold Autumn Day wind blowing the dry leaves along the wet streets of Vienna. The work ends with a glissando to nowhere from the same chord that begun the piece, now missing the harmonic ground of tonic and third. After numerous reiterations of the theme, flute and bassoon end the piece with empty air notes. Herbsttag is published by Peermusic and was released by Albany Records.
Rainer Maria Rilke – Herbsttag
Herr: es ist Zeit. Der Sommer war sehr groß.
Leg deinen Schatten auf die Sonnenuhren,
und auf den Fluren laß die Winde los.
Befiel den letzten Früchten voll zu sein;
gib ihnen noch zwei südlichere Tage,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin und jage
die letzte Süße in den schweren Wein.
Wer jetzt kein Haus hat, baut sich keines mehr.
Wer jetzt allein ist, wird es lange bleiben,
wird wachen, lesen, lange Briefe schreiben
und wird in den Alleen hin und her
unruhig wandern, wenn die Blätter treiben.
Autumn Day
Lord, it is time. Let the great summer go,
lay your shadows on the sundials,
and over harvest piles let the winds blow.
Command the last fruits to be ripe;
grant them one last southern hour,
urge them to completion, and with power
drive final sweetness to the heavy wine.
Who’s homeless now, will for long stay alone.
No home will build his weary hands.
He’ll wake, read, write letters long to friends
and will the alleys up and down
walk restlessly wandering, as falling leaves dance.
Translation: Miguel del Aguila

HEXEN (Witches) Op. 16
for solo bassoon and piano 12:00 min.
Written in 1986 and premiered 1987 at the Katholische Hochschulgemeinde Hall in Vienna, Austria by bassoonist Judith Farmer and the composer at the piano. See complete notes under Works for Orchestra: Hexen

LIFE IS A DREAM (La vida es sueño) Op. 76
For string quartet
Alsofor string quintet or for string orchestra
‘Life is a Dream was commissioned for the Audubon Quartet by the Chautauqua Institution and Kay Logan. It was premiered in 2002 at the Chautauqua Institution Summer Festival in NY by Audubon Quartet. Miguel del Aguila: “As I started writing this music, words and scenes from Calderon de la Barca’s play Life is a Dream started coming to my mind for no particular reason. This moved me to stop composing and read the play again. After reading it I realized the reason: With these words, Calderon’s main character realizes that he can no longer tell reality from dreams. A crisis has led him to question the meaning and purpose of life and the existence of everything we consider real. Being myself in a somewhat similar situation at that time, I continued composing Life is a Dream, now recreating the world of Calderon’s play. As in the play, I blurred the boundaries between the real and the imagined. Making the “real” performance at times a mere background accompanying “imagined”, “dreamed”, “remembered” and “suggested” music played backstage, distorted sections or spoken words. The entire concert hall becomes the performance space and musicians often recite Calderon’s words as they play. The introspective section of the beginning concludes in a climax giving way to a Jota dance which illustrates the busy coming and going of people mindlessly rushing about their lives.  Calderon’s 17th Century Spain also influenced the music.

 

MALAMBO
for flute, double bass and piano 13:00
also:
for bassoon and piano 13:00
for bassoon and string quartet
for bassoon and string orchestra
Clarinet and piano – Clarinet and strings
Saxophone and piano – saxophone and strings
Flute or Piccolo and piano – or strings
Piano 4-hands
As in many of Aguila’s works, this work features virtuosistic instrumental writing often within a language that combines drama, color, driving rhythms and the melodic inflections of Latin American folk music elements. In only two years, Malambo has had over 100 performances worldwide.
Miguel del Aguila: “Before I start writing a new work, I often see a blank, empty imaginary space which,  as I compose, starts being populated with things, events, emotions and of course my own music. Sometimes it’s not a landscape but the inner thoughts and emotions of a person, and in the case of Malambo the music switches between both. Here, we are in the main square of a village in the Argentine Pampas where a celebration is taking place, while the main protagonist (the solo instrument), struggles with past memories and with the decision of joining  the party or isolating. As the sound of church bells trigger memories, he sings alone only accompanied by distant birds and insects; soon joining in a dance taking place near him. While the rhythmic character of this dance was inspired by the Malambo dance of the South American gauchos.  My music here represents only the abstraction of these dances in my memory as rendered in my own musical language and rhythm which in this case consists of alternating 12/16-7/16 meter.  In the midst of the dance the bells ring again and the bassoon isolates again.  Away from the rest it sings an expressive song which grows in intensity until the dissonant bells finally trigger an emotional climax that dissolves in darkness. Suddenly, as if waking up from a dream, the dance resumes.  This time, without interruptions, it gains momentum building up to a joyous, life affirming ending.”

MIAMI FLUTE SUITE
For flute and piano 23:00
Completed in 2014, was written for flutist Néstor Torres, who premiered the work the same year in Miami, FL. The three movements, all ¬based on material drawn from Aguila’s earlier works, are quite different in style and mood. With its irregular, shifting meters, and the wide range of emotional expression it requires, the suite is a tour de force for the flute.
I.Seducción (Seduction), the first movement, begins with a lyrical introduction evoking the style of the Brazilian
chôro. This gives way to a frantic, restless Latin dance propelled forward by a series of ostinatos and rhythmically irregular themes. Written mainly in 13/16 meter, this dance begins with a percussive, almost primal theme that becomes increasingly breathless and ever more intense to end the movement in a passionate climax. Rhythm is the captivating (seductive) element here, with the melodic material playing a secondary role.
II. Silencio (Silence) is the slow, nostalgic and introspective middle movement. Its simple structure is dominated by two recurring lyrical themes that contain elements from 1940’s Latin jazz and tango. This movement was inspired by the sudden passing of the composer’s brother Nelson del Aguila (1964-2012), and expresses the sadness of this loss. The title refers to the void or emptiness left by a person who is absent: a voice that is no longer heard.
III. The suite concludes with Milonga, a light, upbeat dance inspired by the character of the early Uruguayan milonga (a fast-paced dance that preceded the tango). Here, the milonga rhythm is distorted into irregular, constantly shifting patterns that drive the piece forward. Towards the end the music seems to get caught up in its own rhythmic frenzy and ends in an ever-growing reiteration of the theme.

MUSIC IN A BOTTLE Op. 67
For solo piano 10′ 1999, commissioned by J. Miltenberger, Music in a Bottle portrays the symbolic journey of a bottle carrying a message across the oceans and finally sinking without its message never having been delivered. The bottle and its journey represent to me our own selves and our own lives ‘journey and how when we die we take with us most of the memories within us, many of which were undisclosed to everyone else. The work is divided in 3 sections:
I The Journey
II The Message
III The bottle sinks
Music in a Bottle has been recorded by James Miltenberger on Scotwood Music Label, CD @0th Century Dances and Improvisations.

NOCTURNE Op.62
For solo piano 8′
Written in 1998 Nocturne was premiered the same year by pianist Karen Corbett in Ventura, California.
A lyrical, slow moving and introspective piece, it is heavily influenced by Jazz and 1940’s South American Song style. These two elements are combined to create a mood of sadness and nostalgia not too far from that of the Blues and the slow Brazilian Chôro.  Miguel del Aguila writes: “I wrote Nocturne in just a few hours on a foggy afternoon in California. Its form and harmonic structure are very basic and the lack of development give this piece an almost folk-style flow where emotions are expressed with spontaneous simplicity and sincerity. 15 years later, I unknowingly returned to this style in Silence, a work for violin and piano that seems to continue the mood of this piece and to be related to it in its mood.”

NOSTALGICA   Op.60
For bassoon and string quartet
1. Nostálgica
2. Long Ago
3. Finale
Written in 1998, and revised in 2016, Nostálgica was commissioned by bassoonist Barrick Stees who premiered it 1998 at the International Double Reed Convention in Arizona. “I wanted to write a piece in which the bassoon would be the “solo singer” of the ensemble. Soon after I started writing this work, the tone qualities of the bassoon started determining the thematic material and even the form of the piece. Even though the bassoon is the solo singer here, the strings have a technically demanding part which includes extreme registers and the extensive use harmonics.
1. Nostálgica Is quiet and lyrical and it sets the mood for the entire piece establishing the bassoon as the main singing voice. The music is inpired by the Brazilian Chôro.
2. Long Ago is a calm, almost pastoral middle movement. The bassoon plays carefree arabesques often in pentatonic mode and accompanied by shimmering string harmonics and the relax beat of violin pizzicati.
3. Finale concludes the piece with a lively Latin dance. The bassoon provides here the beat with its fast, often percussive notes.

ONE OF YOU
For solo organ, 14:00. Was written in 2000, and premiered June 2001 at the American Guild of Organists National Convention in San Diego, California by organist West organ. The work loosely illustrates the words of Jesus during the Last Supper: “One of you will betray me”, and the feelings of Judas and Jesus as they anticipate the imminent betrayal. “Beyond illustrating the biblical story, I also wanted this work to portray the personal sadness and sorrow caused by the betrayal of a loved one”.  One of You is dedicated to the memory of the composer’s father ; Miguel del Aguila (1915-1999).

OPHELIA IN SEVILLE Op.85
For soprano, tenor and chamber ensemble
Duration 16:00′ Instrumentation: soprano, tenor, flute, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, and string quartet. Written in 2005, It was commissioned by Utah State University for the inauguration of its new Recital Hall in October 2005. The work is intended as a short theatrical work where singers and ensemble are integrated equally into the performance. The text for Ophelia in Seville was taken from  Gustavo A. Becquer’s “Rimas”. Only one of his poems deals with the subject of Shakespeare’s Ophelia. Other subject related poems from Rimas complete the text.  The Shakespearean characters are here seen through the eyes of Becquer, and given a 19th. Century Spanish-romantic, symbolic character. The entire piece represents Ophelia’s thoughts, fantasies and hallucinations. Miguel del Aguila: “I tried to recreate musically the atmosphere of Becquer’s poems, his dreamy and at times melodramatic moods, as well as the poetic romanticism of Seville of the 19th Century. The music mirrors Ophelia’s moods and thoughts rather than a illustrating a particular music style or time. At the beginning of the work, she has been already abandoned by Hamlet and has lost her mind. In her heart, she feels Hamlet’s presence (tenor) everywhere although he is in reality not present and his voice is heard from the tenor backstage. At the end both lovers (the real and the imagined), say a symbolical farewell to each other as Ophelia decides her death.

PACIFIC SERENADE Op.59
for clarinet and string quartet – Also Version for Clarinet /piano and Saxophone/piano and Sax/string quartet
Written in 1998, Pacific Serenade was commissioned by Pacific Serenades Ensemble who premiered it 1998 in Los Angeles.  The ensemble’s name helped inspire this work as well as its theme:  a romantic serenade, meant to be performed at night under the stars. The main “singer” here is the clarinet. In general the music is extremely quiet, delicate, sensuous and sentimental. The sensuousness is created by the use of South American folkloric idioms, especially the Brazilian “choro”, which is at times combined with Blues melodies and Jazz harmony. Miguel del Aguila: “In an age of boom boxes, media bombardment and an increasingly aggressive pop culture, I felt the need to write just the opposite.

PRESTO II
6:00 for string quartet. Also:

PRESTO A CUATRO for guitar quartet and guitar/strings octet. Originally the last movement of Aguila’s String Quartet No.2 (1988), PRESTO II was transformed by the composer into a larger, independent piece. This version was written for Cuarteto Latinoamericano who premiered it in 1996 and recorded it in 1998 for New Albion Records (NA100CD).
PRESTO II is a humorous, ironic and sometimes mocking Latin dance. The introduction has 1920’s Jazz  elements and the following  Latin dance is based on a small rhythmic and melodic cell which is repeated constantly in odd irregular time meters. A challenging work for the performers, it uses unusual playing techniques and effects and rapidly shifting irregular rhythmic patterns.
“I wrote this piece while living in Vienna. For the Viennese, the string quartet form is sacredly serious. With PRESTO II I was mocking the form, and the protocol of classical string quartet tradition.   String Quartet No.2 was premiered in Vienna, and not surprisingly, the Viennese press found it “not serious”.
PRESTO II is also recorded by Alcan quartet on Naxos, by Santiago Quartet London on Cubafilin Records, and by Camerata San Antonio on Bridge Records.

 

QUINTETO SINFÓNICO
12:00 for woodwind quintet
I. Giocoso (Gracioso)
II. Misterioso
III. Luminous (Luminoso)

1. Giocoso – The work begins with a humorous Latin dance which increases tempo and intensity. The performers share themes and continue each other’s phrases as if they were improvising while “dancing” with each other through fast tempos and shifting irregular rhythms. The movement ends with an upbeat new theme which anticipates the second and third movements.”My inspiration for this movement was a technique often used by Andean folk ensembles where wind instruments share and continue each other’s melodies making them sound as if played by only one performer. Often for these ensembles cooperation and the sound of all together is more important then showcasing the talent of each individual separatley. This turns the music into a spontaneous dialogue as each performer must react to what the others played and be ready to play any voice at any given moment.”
   II.The landscape turns now into that of a warm summer night where an oboe sets the mood with a slow, peaceful, somewhat exotic tune. Soon other musicians join the oboe and a mysterious dialogue ensues which is often interrupted by solos and darker passages. Finally the oboe and flute bring back the melody of the beginning, this time with a relaxed Latin beat. The melody becomes more fragmented and dissolves in a long chord.
   III. A bright Luminous Fanfare where clarinet, bassoon and horn imitate trumpets playing the melodic line while flute and oboe provide the excitement of a busy background. After a series of dissonant climaxes and hectic chases, the piece ends joyfully with a reiteration of all previous themes.

 

SALON BUENOS AIRES
For fl,cl, vl,vla,vc,pno. 23:00
Also for: fl,bn, vl,vla,vc,pno.
and for fl,cl, vl,vc,pno.
1. Samba
2. Tango To Dream
3. Obsessed Milonga
Commission by the Cactus Pear Music Festival in 2005, it was premiered by the Festivals ensemble in San Antonio, TX the same year. Written in three movements Salon Buenos Aires is a nostalgic musical trip to 1950’s Buenos Aires. The music conveys the general mood of this period of great prosperity and optimism that preceded the social collapse of the 1970’s in the hands of militaristic regimes. The mood is set by numerous South American dance forms used throughout the work. From carefree Brazilian Samba rhythms to old fashioned melodramatic Tangos and  Milongas (an Uruguayan dance which preceded Tango). After a bright upbeat first movement, the next “Tango to Dream” starts with a mysterious introduction to a Lullaby that slowly acquires a beat to transform itself into a dramatic, passionate Tango.  In the final movement, a Milonga rhythm is distorted into irregular patterns as its constant beat drives the piece from the good spirited lightness of the beginning to an out of control obsessive finale. Salon Buenos Aires recording by Camerata San Antonio (Bridge Records), was nominated for two Latin Grammys in 2010.

SEDUCCIÓN (Seduction)
9:00 Op.95 for flute, clarinet and piano (and eight other instrumentations) is one of eight related works written by Miguel del Aguila in 2007 each with different instrumentation. These works share thematic material with each other and also borrow themes from the composer’s previously written Clarinet Concerto No.2 and Pacific Serenade. The works begins with a lyrical and sensuous, song-like introduction evoking the style of the Brazilian Chôro and it quickly gives way to a frantic, restless dance. From then on, the music is propelled forward by a series of ostinatos and rhythmically irregular themes. Rhythm is here the captivating (seductive), element which often relegates the melodic material to a secondary role. This Latin dance, written mainly on 13/16 meter, begins with a percussive, almost primal theme that becomes increasingly breathless and ever-more-intense leading the work towards a final passionate climax. A tour de force for the performers, Seducción demands not only stamina but outmost rhythmic accuracy through constantly shifting syncopations in irregular meters.Seducción was premiered in 2008 by Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society Festival Ensemble in Madison, Wisconsin

SILENCE
10:00 For violin and piano also violin and clarinet. Also viola/pno, cello/pno, clarinet/pno
Written in 2013 Silence is a slow, nostalgic and introspective work. Its simple structure is dominated by a recurring lyrical theme which contains elements from 1940’s Latin Jazz/Tango. This highly melodic and expressive work was inspired by the sudden passing of the composer’s brother Nelson del Aguila, and it expresses the sadness of this loss. The title Silence refers to the void or emptiness left by a person who’s absent. A voice who is no longer heard. Silence was premiered 2013 by Guillermo Figueroa and Miguel del Aguila at Music in the Mountains Festival in Colorado, USA

PIANO SONATA No.2 
15:00 for piano
I. Allegro
II. Lento
III. Presto
Written in Vienna  in 1988 it was first heard there at a Bösendorfer Hall recital , and officially premiered at Carnegie Recital Hall by the composer the following year.
1. The first movement written mainly in 11/16 time, starts with an ostinato rhythm as dark, distant melodic fragments played in the piano’s lowest register serve as introduction. As the movement progresses the music becomes increasingly lively, rhythmic, colorful and expressive. Above the rhythmic ostinatos often melodies, reminiscent of the Gaucho song of Uruguay and Argentina sing freely. The singing becomes a dance of irregular rhythms and it reaches a dramatic climax that dissolves in darkness. The second movement begins with an opening of quiet slow arpeggios followed by a slow and sensuous Blues. The final movement is witty, lively humorous and sarcastic. A continuous animando from beginning to end, it begins with a 1920’s Jazz sound alternated by rhythmically irregular Caribbean dance rhythms and short melodic fragments played in double 8ves. The rapidly shifting rhythms of 11/16 +15+16 provides excitement and  a bumpy beat which has prompted many dancers to choreograph this movement in different instrumentations. After a long buildup, the piece seems to fly out of control to end in a dramatic fff arm cluster. Thematic material from this movement  was later used by the composer on his String Quartet No2 and his Presto II. And in many other settings some of which include violin, double bass, piano and percussion. The Sonata is dedicated to Jorge Basurto and published by Peermusic. Sonata No.2 is recorded by James Miltenberger on ACA Recordings CD: Piano Music of the Americas.

SUBMERGED (Sumergida)
for flute, viola and harp – 9:30
Also for flute, violin and harp
SUBMERGED  flute, viola
SUBMERGED    three harps – and for two harps
Written in 2013 was commissioned by Hat Trick and Brigham Young University. It is based on Alfonsina Storni’s romantic, surrealist poem “Yo en el fondo del mar” On the surface, both the poem and music seem innocent and light-hearted, but one feels differently when the author’s fascination with the sea, and her later suicide by drowning in it, are taken into consideration. The piece follows the form of the poem except for the lively introduction and a coda which illustrate the poet’s childhood near her native Argentine Andes, and in Switzerland. With six harp loud chords, the piece “falls” deep underwater: this slow middle section is mysterious, intimate and magical. It recreates the poem’s isolated submerged world where fish with flowers, octopus and sirens dance while birds chirp happily far above water. The harp uses unusual extended techniques, some stemming from Paraguayan harp playing. The viola adds a rhythmic edge by playing constant multiple stop pizzicati imitating a Charango. The flute is the Quena of the ensemble and it uses often extended techniques as well. “In my interpretation of Storni’s poem this underwater world is that special place of isolation where many artists withdraw to create, a place and mood that can easily turn into depression. A place that ultimately Alfonsina chose to remain and which became her death. In my Submerged, I continued the events of the poem and made the listener return to the real world above water. This return is triggered by the memories of her childhood played by the harp and viola as a music box Ländler which turns into a Vidalita, both music which Alfonsina would have heard in her childhood.​
Yo en el fondo del mar from Mundo de siete pozos (1934)
Storni, Alfonsina ( 1892 – 1937 )
Published by Tor, Buenos Aires (1935)

En el fondo del mar
hay una casa
de cristal.
A una avenida
de madréporas
da.
Un gran pez de oro,
a las cinco,
me viene a saludar.
Me trae
un rojo ramo
de flores de coral.
Duermo en una cama
un poco más azul
que el mar.
Un pulpo
me hace guiños
a través del cristal.
En el bosque verde
que me circunda
—din don…din dan…—
se balancean y cantan
las sirenas
de nácar verdemar.
Y sobre mi cabeza
arden, en el crepúsculo,
las erizadas puntas del mar.

Me at the Bottom of the Sea
Alfonsina Storni (1892-1938)
(from World of Seven Wells, 1934)

At the bottom of the sea
there  is a house
made of glass,
at the edge
of a coral-lined
road.
A big golden fish
comes to greet me
at five;
it brings me
a red bouquet
of coral as flowers.
I sleep on a bed
somewhat bluer
than the sea.
An octopus
now winks at me
through the glass.
In the green forest
that surrounds me
swaying mermaids sing
—ding, dong … ding, ding—
in their nacre and aquamarine.
And above my head
glow in the twilight
the prickling pins of the sea.
Translation by M. del Aguila (2013)

SUMMER SONG, Op. 26
for oboe and piano, was written 1988 in Vienna, and premiered there a year later by oboist Vasile Marian, for whom it was written. “The work is all about nature, how it affects us and how we interact with it. It was inspired by an Aztec poem that, though lost long ago, I still recall visually: It’s a quiet, warm and lazy summer afternoon and the protagonist is lying on the grass. As he daydreams, his thoughts interact with the actual landscape, creating a magical, unreal place. Soon, as passing clouds bring rain the protagonist falls asleep and dreams. As the storm passes birds begin to sing, waking him up”.  The work opens with a gentle, modal theme, followed by a more lively and rhythmic second theme. Their interplay provides a gentle dialogue that takes us through a set of variations. The themes become agitated and trigger the “dream” section of the piece from where a bird seems to slowly guide us back to reality. The themes we heard at the beginning return and are later joined by a new, almost scandalous theme, reminiscent of Brazilian samba “Summer Song stands alone among my works due to its capricious form, its over-abundance of thematic material, and most of all for the disparity of styles which somehow seem to merge together: idioms ranging from Indian chant and the 1940s Big Band era coexist with the late Renaissance, Middle Eastern arabesques, music from the Caribbean and Brazilian Samba. Originally written in 1988, I revised the work in 1996, expanding it in both length and, alas, difficulty”. Katsuya Watanabe brilliantly masters the work’s challenges in his recording with pianist David Johnson on the Profil label. Summer Song is recorded by Katsuya Watanabe, oboe, and David Johnson, piano, on
Profil CD 8977792

SUNSET SONG Op.42
for bassoon and piano was written and premiered in 1994 at the Los Angeles Museum of Art, Bing Theater. It is the composer’s second large work featuring the bassoon as soloists (after Hexen) and like Hexen it is also dedicated to bassoonist Judith Farmer who premiered it with the composer at the piano. Sunset Song is technically a tour de force for both the bassoon and the piano. It is a happy, sensuous, obsessive and at times mocking often reflecting the time in which it was written and the events of a Mexico tour that followed the first performance during which the piece underwent revisions. Sunset Song starts with an introduction played by the bassoon almost entirely. This introduction uses elements of 1950’s pop music. A middle section fallows where a static -almost Middle Eastern- ostinato rhythmic pattern beats with increasing tension. This pattern is then transformed to a Latin beat which finally returns the piece to the opening mood. The bassoon ends the piece in an irreverent tone, with a pitch written two octaves above the official limit of the instrument’s register. The title Sunset Song was inspired by California’s sunsets and the sun setting on the Pacific Ocean.

TANGO TRIO Op.71
12:00 for violin, cello and piano
Also: TANGO TRIO –  cl,cello,pno. (opt:ob,cello pno)
TANGO TRIO –  ob,bn,pno. (opt:cl,bn,pno)
TANGO TRIO – vl,cl,pno
Written in 2002 in New York. It was premiered at the Chautauqua Music Festival that summer by the New Arts Trio. The work evokes Argentine-Uruguayan tango idioms, recalling especially the neo-romantic and sentimental style of the early tango period between 1910 and 1940. The musical language is intense, dramatic and direct, becoming at times melodramatic and humorous.
Written as an homage to Tango, TANGO TRIO does not follow the form, rhythm or style of the traditional Argentine dance, nor that of Piazzolla’s “Nuevo tango”. It is more often an abstraction of the dance that contains elements from a broader spectrum of Latin American dances such as Brazilian Samba, and Uruguayan Milonga and Candombe. The piano often provides the sharp rhythmic beat characteristic of this dance, but occasionally blurs the beat with turbulent, virtuosic arpeggios. The tango rhythmic pattern, present through most of the work, undergoes several tempo meter transformations, becoming at times highly syncopated and varied through asymmetrical groupings within the measure. The melodic material, usually given to strings and bandoneons in the typical tango ensemble, is here given to the violin and cello. TANGO TRIO is also available for clarinet, cello and piano and for oboe cello and piano. Tango Trio is published by Peermusic Classical and it is recorded by Arcos Trio on Centaur Records.

 

TANGO VOLANTE Op.133
Op. 133 for cello and piano – (Flying Tango)
Commissioned by the Bardin-Niskala Duo – 2022 – duration 7:40 min.Since I can remember I had a recurring dream in which I’m often chased or in trouble. As I try to run faster I jump and suddenly start flying. At first I’m surprised but soon flying becomes a normal ability and situation. As I climb I reach a peaceful state in which I’m effortlessly floating in the air looking down at a beautiful landscape. This work conveys this dream’s feelings and reflects about the unknown possibilities and powers hidden within each of us and our ability to turn challenges into a positive
motivation and outcome” A three note theme (which illustrates the three stages of flight: run – jump – take off), recurs throughout the piece in different forms. At first in dark, tritone notes retracing their steps downwards. Soon the theme acquires a threatening, tango inspired beat. A struggle follows and finally (bar.111) the music breaks away from the threat and starts flying ending in floating peacefulness.

TENNESSEE Op. 72
For solo guitar.
Written in 2001,  is inspired by controversial character from Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”. The work starts with a sentimental old fashioned waltz, which portrays Blanche. This nostalgic waltz is also Blanche remembering and yearning for the long gone world of her youth. The middle section that follows is the train theme expressing her sensuality, her madness and ultimately her self-destruction. This theme is purposefully written in unstable 7/8 meter. Blanche’s waltz theme reappears challenging the train theme but it quickly returns to its nostalgic nature dissolving hopelessly into fragile, guitar harmonics as Blanche, now gone insane, is being dragged away. The work has been recorded by Matt Greif on CD Permanent Transition.

TOCCATA
Toccata Op. 23
For piano 5:00Premiered 1988 by the composer in Vienna’s Bösendorfer Hall, It is a typical keyboard toccata build on an ostinato of alternating hands and meter (6/8+7/8) and requiring endurance and rhythmic precision from the performer. The work has on single theme which is also used in the slow introduction. The rhythmic inspiration of this piece is the Uruguayan Candombe –a fast and rhythmic Afro-American dance. In Toccata the performer uses his hands on the piano similar to the way the candombe drums player would play his instrument. The rhythmic ostinato becomes increasingly loud and intense to culminate in a dramatic climax after which the piece sinks in darkness and fades away as a last recitando statement gives a last sad farewell. Toccata is published by Peermusic and has been recorded in its harpsichord version by Marink Brecelj for the KKM Vienna Records,. The orchestral version was recorded by Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor H. Earl for Sony Austria.

VALS BRUTAL
Op. 48 piano solo 5:00
Written in 1995 it was premiered the same year at Bing Theater at the  Los Angeles Museum of Art by the composer.  Miguel del Aguila writes:  I wrote Vals Brutal almost spontaneously after returning from a meeting in which I was confronted by some narrow-minded , prejudiced people who called themselves patrons of the arts. Infuriated I came home, sat at the piano and improvised this mocking, grotesque and violent waltz to vent my emotions.” Vals Brutal is a tour de force that requires great stamina as it also challenges the pianist technically with continuous runs and arpeggios on the right hand while the left hand mainly provides the waltz rhythm trying to keep the piece under control. After a final accelerando to the fastest possible tempo the piece flies off the handle as the work ends on a gesture of defiance by asking the pianist to violently drop the piano lid on the keys.

WIND QUINTET No.2 Op.46
1.    Back in Time
2.    In Heaven
3.    Under the Earth
4.    Far Away
Wind Quintet No.2 was written in 1994 and premiered the same year in Santa Barbara by the Bach Camerata.  In 1995 it was awarded a Kennedy Center Friedheim Award for excellence in chamber music composition.
The four movements are held together by an undisclosed program that takes the listener through four different places (movements), as would the four acts of a play.  Back in Time has a primitive, ritualistic character. The flute, accompanied by chant, plays a simple, modal theme. The simple musical structure and melodic material are retained as the movement progresses. In Heaven is a delicate, relaxed and stylized Caribbean dance. Extensive new performance techniques and effects are used in this movement which at times makes the quintet sound like a delicate, distant percussion ensemble. Under the Earth is perhaps the composer’s darkest and most realistic musical depiction of death.  Miguel del Aguila: “The wind quintet is often thought of as an ensemble dominated by the high instruments with limited bass support. I tried to prove the contrary with this movement which explores not only the expressive depth of the wind ensemble but the extreme low registers of some of the instruments”
Far Away takes us to a busy scene in the Middle East. Several Arabic maqams and oboe solos, combined with a digeridoo sounding ostinato bass are used to create an exotic fabric in which the entire ensemble is challenged to the limits of their technical abilities before bringing the piece to a fiery conclusion.
Recordings: The Borealis Wind Quintet, CD: Discoveries (HE1030) Helicon Records