Francisco Castillo Trigueros’ immersive Canciones desde Xilitla (Songs from Xilitla), composed for Fonema Consort, interlaces sounds of the remote Mexican town’s exuberant nature, voices of its inhabitants, and echos of nearby urban soundscapes with a multimedia arrangement of classical musicians, electronics and visuals. This multimedia experience presents a set of songs in which the composer reflects on the contradictions between the town’s social reality and the iconic utopia of Las Pozas: a surrealist sculpture garden created by British poet Edward James on the outskirts of Xilitla.

The text of the songs, written by Castillo Trigueros, are based on on-site interviews with inhabitants of Xilitla. These texts cover various universal topics such as emigration, love, death, dreams, and faith, as experienced by Xilitlans.

The video, created in collaboration with Mexican videographer Jimena Montemayor Loyo and Conejo Media, captures Xilitla’s unique visual landscape: jungle-covered mountains; crooked, unfinished buildings; abandoned objects; surfaces eaten by moss; and surrealist sculptures.

These elements come together through compositions that range from abstract sound environments to folkloric, emotional songs.

This creation of this song cycle was supported by an award from the Claire & Samuel Edes Foundation.