The Victory Players Perform Rodríguez’ Transmutación Inerte in Puerto Rico

Victory Players, the Pierrot ensemble (violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano and percussion) settled in Holyoke, Massachusetts make their Puerto Rican debut with the concert “El Puerto Rico – The Rich Port.” The program integrates contemporary commissions from over a dozen Puerto Rican composers which they will present in a didactically. The growing patriotic musical asset include works by Armando Bayolo, Gabriel Bouche Caro, Johanny Navarro, Christian Quiñones Pérez, and Ivan Enrique Rodriguez Transmutación Inerte, among others.

The concert will take place Saturday, January 14, 2023, 7:30 pm a the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall in the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré

Transmutación Inerte Program Notes

Identity is a very complex construct that merges absolutely everything that we experience, it is perhaps one of the

most defining aspect of who we are. That said, even as important and defining as our identity can be, it is constantly evolving and absorbing every single detail of our life’s unfolding. As a Puerto Rican (for historical and political reasons) we are also US citizens. This presents a plausible and interesting overlap of a plethora of elements to encounter.

Without even noticing, life took a turn leading me to the US. Through the years I was able to live in different places of the nation, while recollecting an abundance of experiences that, undeniably, provoked a self-examination of who I was. Transmutación Inerte (Inert Transmutation) is a presentation of that examination. As we absorb new experiences our identity gets richer, but also more complex. This presents a very curious riddle – We keep on being who we are but, while adapting to our new surroundings, we understand ourselves differently. Therefore, who we are, now is different. While I experienced this conundrum, I looked back to my place of origin. It brought me joy, it reminded me my upbringing, all the elements that collaborated to develop my identity. But, as a result of my new experiences, I saw them differently. This produced a difficult feeling of lack of belonging. There were things that felt far away in my Puerto Rico, but also things that, even with the passage of time, felt foreign in the US, my new “home.” Transmutación Inerte, with the rhythms and melodies of my Puerto Rico, tries to address that process and sensation. The experience of change without changing, of evolving into something richer and exciting and, consequently, harder to define.