-
ABOUT AZTEC MYTHS & LEGENDS BY OME
-
-
THE MUSIC
-
The Music
For the creation of the music, OME was inspired by the myths and legends of the Aztec civilization, their religious beliefs, their view of the universe, and some elements of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. It was created to celebrate the greatness of the ancient cultures and civilizations easily, taken softly by the hand of beautiful stories, powerful sounds and enchanting melodies, into the modern world while celebrating the fusion of the cultures and what makes us who we are today.
Along the path, OME discovered that there exists no record of the way pre-Hispanic music was written, which in a way gives them the tranquility of using the instruments as they please in each song; meaning by this, that in no way they are trying to reproduce the music from the past, but only taking advantage and exploiting the amazing ancient sounds as pure expressive material of their feelings.
In Aztec Myths & Legends: A Narrated Concert by OME, the music progresses along with the story as if it were a soundtrack; and whether the listener knows how each myth and legend goes or not, the lack of lyrics in the voices makes it easy to feel the music and let the mind wander.
-
THE ARRANGEMENTS
-
The musical arrangements were carefully designed by Paola and Rodrigo to create an enchanting fusion between the past and the present, making the electronic sounds, orchestral elements, and voices, coexist with the power and feeling of the pre-Hispanic instruments.
To achieve the sounds with the pre-Hispanic instruments, OME studied and shared with some of the most renowned people in the pre-Hispanic music genre. They also got acquainted with each instrument, learned their functions and sounds, thanks to the collaboration of some archeologists and anthropologists of the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History, in Mexico City), and traveled through the magical places of their beloved ancient Mexico.
Throughout time, OME acquired several pre-Hispanic instruments (ocarinas, huehuetls, atecocollis, flutes, teponaztlis) among others; some of them being exact replicas of the original instruments and some others that were made for them, which they utilized in this album.
These instruments were recorded, sampled and then tuned digitally by OME to dwell peacefully among the other elements used in their music, taking absolute care to preserve the essence and power of such instruments.
-
THE VOICES
-
The vocal arrangements were specially planned and conceived by OME to create distinctive moods; to interact with the music, becoming a part of it. On occasions, modern harmonies were combined to those found on the ocarinas and pre-Hispanic flutes to generate new sounds and emotions.
The piecing together of the voices of soprano coloratura Paola Treviño and tenor Rodrigo Garcia, blend together in a very special way creating a rare and unique atmosphere.
-
THE MYTHS & LEGENDS
-
The Mexican culture, is one of the most fascinating cultures worldwide.
A country rich in tradition, history, and culture that has undergone a massive transformation throughout time, makes Mexico a place as unique and diverse as its hidden tales.
The Aztec myths and legends chosen, were thoroughly investigated, and thoughtfully selected by OME, among the many that exist; from what is written in the chronicles, to the folklore of the new myths found and told nowadays.
This unique collection, gathers together ten myths and legends from the pre-Hispanic period and the Spanish conquest. One original, and the rest of them adapted and re-written by OME, these narratives reflect the story of the Aztec civilization, in an entertaining and enchanting way.
-
STORYTELLING
-
OME embraces the oral tradition, the importance of the stories of the people who have gone before us and the power of imagination.
Older than the written word, there was storytelling, tales of creation and destruction, of how things came to be, tales not told simply for entertainment but rather stories that help transmit and preserve the beliefs, customs, spirituality, view of the world and traditional way of life…
Tales that immortalize an entire civilization.