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A musical meeting of cultures

Echoes of Moravia in Prague Autumn mariachi concert

By Tony Ozuna
For The Prague Post
September 19th, 2007 issue

Mariachi Vargas

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
When: Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 7:30
Where: Rudolfinum
Tickets: 190–990 Kč, available through Ticketpro, Bohemia Ticket and at the venue

It’s the most unusual pairing of the season: the esteemed musicians of Mariachi Vargas playing Mexico’s national music in symphonic arrangements with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mexican maestro Enrique Barrios.
Mariachi is the national Mexican folk music, but at the same time, it is also an evolving, enormously popular contemporary music in Mexico and parts of the United States. As the famous U.S.-born Mexican actress Angélica María says in the introduction to the DVD Mariachi USA, “Mariachi music has survived and surpassed all music fads because its deep Mexican roots have strongly anchored its very essence. It has a hint of the mystery of Mexico’s pyramids, the strength of its volcanos, and represents the warm generosity of the Mexican people.”
Among mariachi groups, Mariachi Vargas is the godfather of it all. The name is actually a short version of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, a seminal group formed in Tecalitlan in the state of Jalisco in 1897 by Gaspar Vargas. Over the years, key leaders and musicians have come and gone, countless albums have been recorded and the group has starred in more than 200 movies in Mexico.
They have also performed around the world, and, like any well-regarded state or city orchestra, their consistency in the level of performance and musicianship is first-rate. Thus, over a century since they were formed, they are still considered “the best mariachis in the world,” and deservedly so.
Historians and musicologists have varied opinions on the true origins of mariachi music. Interestingly, many trace the source of its distinctive sound to Moravia, because in the mid-1800s there was a large migration of Czechs (along with Germans and Austrians) to work on the railroads in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Musicians among these workers brought the Moravian “polka” brass sounds with them.  Mexicans soon adapted this fresh sound into their existing folk music, which at that time was closer to peasant folk music with violins, the vihuela, which is a high-pitched, five-string guitar, and the guitarron, a smaller acoustic bass.
This new sound blossomed at weddings in Mexico in the 1860s, during the French intervention under the Mexican Emperor Maximilian, archduke of Austria, and many historians have noted the possible derivation from the French word mariage. To this day, mariachi music is still integral to not only weddings, but any celebration in Mexico.
Over the years, mariachi musicians have added an unmatched visual flair to their performances by wearing embroidered charro, or Mexican cowboy suits, which initially included stitched jingling carracas and sometimes even seashells — from the tradition of Mexican Indian conch dancers — along the seams of their pants. Large, colorful sombreros have become part of the ensemble. And canciones, stories with a special emotion, add both tragic and celebratory elements to the sound.  
In the first half of the performance here, Mariachi Vargas will play its traditional mariachi music, a rare treat in Central Europe. In the second half, the group will perform symphonic arrangements of mariachi standards with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The second half will be conducted by Barrios, who is the music director and conductor of the Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, Mexico and principal conductor of the Aguascalientes Opera. He has been invited on a regular basis to be a guest conductor with orchestras throughout Europe and North America, including Czech symphony orchestras.
What’s truly special about this evening, however, is that the top mariachi group in the world is, in a sense, returning to its roots by performing in Prague. Though these roots are not commonly acknowledged in Mexico or the Czech Republic, if you listen closely you will hear echoes of Bohemia and Moravia.

Tony Ozuna can be reached at tempo@praguepost.com


Other articles in Tempo (19/09/2007):

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