Music Show in Mexico Combines Sound and Silence

Music Show in Mexico Combines Sound and Silence

A conductor in Mexico hopes to gain listeners through a new work in which a clown performs with musicians.

Alondra de la Parra has led more than 100 large music groups, called orchestras². They include the London Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris.

The new performance, "The Silence of Sound", puts musicians on stage rather than below the stage in an area known as the pit³.

Through classical music, the orchestra¹ plays an important part in the story as the clown searches for meaning and happiness.

"The stories we tell in this show are just some out of the many possible stories one can come up with when listening to classical music," de la Parra told the Reuters news agency⁴.

Formal music of Western culture is often described as "classical."

She added, "We hope to reach a larger audience so that they fall in love with the orchestra, and also to give some comfort, dreams, imagination and art in this difficult period of time that we are living in."

Mexican clown performer Gabriela Munoz performs with the musicians. She does not speak during the performance. Instead, she acts with images, such as birds in flight.

"My character is a character I've played for many years already," Munoz said. A character is a person that appears in a story, play, or book.

She added that the clown goes on a trip, or journey, to "find her inner⁵ music that allows her to dance to her own rhythm⁶."

De la Parra chose music including pieces written by Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky among others.

She said she wanted to have different kinds of works⁷, "one after the other, that could be a very beautiful sample as an introduction to the orchestra of pieces that anybody can fall in love with immediately."

The two women have been working together on the project for six years, recently facing issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The time we're living and going through this pandemic makes it even more relevant⁸...to remind (ourselves) how important it is to go through emotional⁹ journeys, to continue sharing," Munoz said.

"The Silence of Sound" will have its first performance in Mexico in July. De la Parra also plans performances in other parts of Mexico and in Europe.

Words in This Story

conductor – n. a person who stands in front of people while they sing or play musical instruments and directs their performance

clown – n. someone who performs in a circus, who wears funny clothes and makeup¹⁰, and who tries to make people laugh

stage –n. a raised structure in a theater or similar place where the performers stand

audience – n. : a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something (such as a movie or play) : the people who attend a performance

comfort –n. a state of feeling less worried or upset after a time of trouble or pain

character –n. a person or being who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show

rhythm –n. a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements

relevant – adj. relating to a subject in an appropriate way

1 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

2 orchestras   

管弦乐队( orchestra的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The orchestras, the choruses, the drama and opera casts, will be cut to pieces. 各个管弦乐队、合唱队、戏剧和歌剧的演员名单都将支离破碎。
• In Indonesia, gamelan orchestras play music on gongs, drums, and xylophones. 印度尼西亚，佳美兰乐队用锣、和木琴演奏音乐。

3 pit   

n.深坑，核，矿井，陷阱，英国剧场正厅后排，凹陷疤痕；vt.使...有伤痕，去...的核，与...较量

参考例句：

• A sheep fell into a pit,and I helped it out.一只羊掉进坑里，我把它弄了出来。
• They dug a pit to bury the rubbish.他们挖了一个坑把垃圾埋掉。

4 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

5 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

6 rhythm   

n.韵律；节奏

参考例句：

• He has an ear for the rhythm of Irish speech.他对爱尔兰语的节奏很敏感。
• His poem has a pleasing rhythm.他的诗有和谐的韵律。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 relevant   

adj.有关的，贴切的

参考例句：

• I don't think his remarks are relevant to our discussion.我认为他的话不切我们的议题。
• These materials are relevant to the case.这些材料与这案件有关。

9 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

10 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？