- Source: The Night of the Mayas
The Night of the Mayas (Spanish: La noche de los mayas) is a 1939 Mexican film directed by Chano Urueta. The film, which is called a "Mexican tragedy" set in the times of the Mayas, is remembered today for its musical score by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas.
Cast
Arturo de Córdova as Uz
Stella Inda as Lol
Isabela Corona as Zev
Luis Aldás as Miguel
Miguel Ángel Ferriz Sr. as Yum Balam
Rodolfo Landa as Taz
Daniel (Chino) Herrera as Apolonio
Rosita Gasque as Pil
Max Langler as H‐Men, hombre sabio
Jacoba Herrera as Nuc, anciana
Ch. Sánchez as Chumín
Music
Revueltas' music is best known in arrangements for the concert hall, although the composer did not live to make such an arrangement himself.
= Concert suites
=In 1946 the German composer Paul Hindemith made a visit to Mexico where he met Rosaura Revueltas, sister of Silvestre. This led to his concert arrangement in two movements.
There is a later arrangement by José Limantour (1919–1976) in four movements. It is scored for larger forces than Hindemith's version and includes a large percussion section.
= Recordings
=The version by Hindemith was recorded by the Tempus Fugit Orquesta conducted by Christian Gohmer, and released by Quindecim Records in 2014.
Limantour was recorded conducting the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guadalajara. Later recordings include one by the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, which was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2010.
References
Further reading
Lienhard, Martin. "La Noche de Los Mayas: Indigenous Mesoamericans in Cinema and Literature, 1917–1943", translated by Peter Cooke and Philip Derbyshire. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 13, no. 1 (2004): 35–96.
External links
La noche de los mayas at IMDb
La noche de los mayas at Hoycinema.com (in Spanish)