Wilfrido Terrazas

The Torres Cycle

New Focus, 2022

8/10

Listen to The Torres Cycle

The ambitious composer Wilfrido Terrazas presents us a 7 part album here, where ritual, indigenous tradition from his native Mexico, alternative notation, structured improvisation and spatialized live performance techniques make for a very expressive and unique body of work.

“Torre del Norte” opens the listen with much atmosphere, where several trumpets, trombones and euphonium are present in very unorthodox ways that use the instruments for ambience, and “Tótem I, Camino sobre la tierra” follows with Juliana Gaona’s oboe and Rebecca Lloyd-Jones’ percussion emitting a very mysterious tone that hints at classical sounds in very unconventional ways.

In the middle, “Tótem II, Miro hacia el cielo” recruits 4 piccolos that interact with a very iconoclastic droning appeal, while “Tótem III, Estoy en el centro” squeals with trumpet from Alexandria Smith and contrabass by Kathyryn Schulmeister that rumbles with a low intensity.

The final track, “Torre del Oeste”, mashes flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet and bass clarinet into a wind focused presence that’s cathartic while spiraling with much intrigue.

A very fluid, powerful and timbral diverse outing, Terrazas and company create a globally significant and atypically energetic listen here, and it’s something you’re not going to hear anywhere else.

Travels well with: Pathos Trio- When Dark Sounds Collide; David Liptak- Brightening Air