Just came back from Mexico after a whole week there. Whew ! Interesting experience.
I worked with some composers there, and am sad to say that the situation looks bleak. They just discovered avant-gardism (like many developing countries at the moment) but they haven't learned from European contemporary history how avant-gardism died ! So, for them now, avantgardism is not everything : it's the ONLY thing. So sad. And unfortunately, I haven't met a great talent to continue the legacy of the great Carlos Chavez or Silvestre Revueltas.
In a way, it is a lot like Indonesia. The Mexicans don't really appreciate their own composers. The real ones, I mean, like Chavez or Revueltas, not the avantgarde ones . I haven't seen those two great names in the programs of the orchestras there. Why is it happening ? Why can't people appreciate the achievements of their compadres ?
