Programme Note
Composer note:A short, festive crowd-pleaser,
Piñata — Concert Overture for Orchestra, blends Mexican folk music, samba rhythms, contemporary symphonic techniques, and American jazz. The score includes quotations of two actual Mexican piñata songs,
Hora y fuego and
En las noches de posadas, which are traditionally sung at fiestas, such as birthdays or at Christmas time.
After a bustling introduction, the music graphically depicts the swaying piñata, a brightly decorated clay pot filled with candy suspended on a string (in this case, two solo violins). As the excitement builds, there is a series of mighty orchestral whacks at the piñata, which eventually breaks open in a triumphant coda. The work may be presented in concert form or as a ballet.
— Robert X. Rodríguez
Jointly commissioned by the El Paso Symphony and the Dallas Symphony,
Piñata is regularly performed on subscription, youth, and family concerts across the United States.