金瓷 - Golden Porcelain
Porcelana De Oro (金瓷) - Dir. Carlos Miguel Prieto
金瓷 - Golden Porcelain is a symphonic present from Mexico to China marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The musical piece receives its name from the intrinsic relationship between Chinese porcelain and Talavera (a world-renowned hand-painted ceramic from Puebla, Mexico). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "a large quantity of Chinese export porcelain transported on galleons from Manila remained in Mexico and served as models for the potters of Puebla."
The structure of the piece represents a grosso modo the process of creating porcelain, which is very similar to the process of creating Talavera, and alludes to that historical connection between China and Mexico. Thus, the piece has 4 sections: water and China stone; clay stamping; ceramic modeling and fire in the kiln; and an invigorating finale that represents the conclusion of the creation process. The "golden" part of the piece's name alludes to the recently concluded 50 years of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico, which are in essence a "golden jubilee". The piece inaugurates a new cycle of a stable, robust, and reciprocal bilateral relationship.
The piece was premiered by OAcademy on Feb. 14th, 2022. It premiered online due to the pandemic and was accompanied by an animated mural by Mexican concept artist David Rubaud. The mural depicts historical moments of the Mexico-China relationship and evidences the relationship between Talavera and Porcelain.
On July 19th, 2023, the piece had its live premiere by the Minería Symphony Orchestra at the Nazahuacóyotl Hall, conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto. The premiere was attended by representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Mexico.