Pasion y Fuego

Four Latin Dances for Wind Ensemble

This piece of music is the product of an idea that I had been pondering for about four years. The original premise was pretty simple: four Latin dance movements, the first three of which were to originally feature solo instruments that would all come back together for the final Tango movement.

As I began to dig into the piece more seriously, a series of decisions lead to the final format, wherein the first three movements all feature different sections of the ensemble (the Saxophone family, the Trumpet section, and the Clarinet family), but still bringing those timbres back in the final movement. This last movement was always going to be a Tango - a dance and style known for being sultry and seductive. The reason for the intertwining of three timbres is to perhaps suggest not just a seduction, but a love triangle.

Having had a plan for the final movement, backwards planning lead me to listen to and explore several other Latin dance styles before finally settling on the three that were chosen: the energetic and driving Bulerías (a derivative of the Flamenco), the relaxing, laid-back feeling of the Cuban Danza, and finally the upbeat groove in the Salsa.