Sinfonía 5 de Mayo: II. Scherzo-Burlesque. La Marseillaise

Sinfonía 5 de Mayo (The 5th of May Symphony) is an epic work for grand symphony orchestra, piano, harp, percussions, mixed choir and soprano soloist, in five movements, written by Venus Rey Jr. during the fall of 2014 and premiered on May 5th 2015 in the city of Puebla. It last around 70 minutes. The work is inspired by the heroic battle of Puebla, May 5th 1862, in which the Mexican Army defeated the French invading troops. The Symphony has five movements:

I. The first movement (Moderado, con cierta inquietud / Moderate, with a certain uneasiness) sets a grave and tense mood. It evokes the tragic moment that Mexico was suffering when president Juárez knew about the disembarking of the French in the Gulf of Mexico.
II. The second movement is satirical (Scherzo-Burlesque. Fast). It mocks the XIX century colonialism. In this movement the composer uses “La Marseillaise”, the French National Anthem, not in a Tchaikovsky manner, but rather in a very interesting and impressive way.
III. The third movement (Muy lento / Very slow) uses a poem written by the ancient ruler of Texcoco: Netzahualcóyotl, also known as the Poet-King. This poem (¿a dónde iremos? / where shall we go?) is about death and fate.
IV. The fourth movement depicts the battle (Rápido y tenso / Fast and tense). It is a very brilliant movement, full of dramatic and heroic moments.
V. The last movement is the Te Deum, a Celebration Anthem. It is sung by the choir and the soloist.

This Symphony is a tribute to the heroic struggle shown by the city of Puebla who fought and drove back the French invaders.

Orchestration
Woodwind:piccolo, 2 flutes, alto flute; 2 oboes, English horn; clarinet in E flat, 2 B flat clarinets, bass clarinet; 2 bassoon, contrabassoon.
Brass:5 horns, 4 trumpets in B flat, 3 trombones, bass trombone, tuba.
Percussion: timpani, bass drum, snare drum, gongs, cymbals, tubular bells, triangle, tambourine.
Piano and harp
Voices: mixed choir and soprano soloist.
String:violins I & II, violas, celli, double basses