Music of struggle

Issue 

Cantata Santa Maria de Iquique and Somos Fuertes
Directed by Mark Dunbar
Presented by Bemac Space Yungabar, Brisbane, July 5-14
Reviewed by Lynda Hansen

After the success of the 1995 epic production of Canto General, musical director Mark Dunbar has produced this cantata written by Mark Shortis. The piece was originally created by Luis Advis, who was born in Iquique in northern Chile and is one of Chile's most valuable musicians and composers.

Advis believed in creating a link between classic cantata form and popular music, so that the people could enjoy what was once accessible only to the elite. The music is based on a mass strike by Chilean nitrate miners in 1907, in response to their vile working and living conditions. The authorities reacted to the strike by the indiscriminate machine-gunning of men, women and children at the school of Santa Maria, which left 3600 dead in less than 10 minutes.

The 52-strong multilingual Canto Coro choir, backed by an Andean music ensemble, created an emotional yet strongly political presence that represented the hardship, struggle and spirit of the Chilean workers. Luis Advis said of the work, "Santa Maria de Iquique is not only the recollection of one of the brutal massacres of workers in Latin American History, but also a symbol of unity, struggle, warning and hope".

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