Arturo Marquez Usual Suspects [2021] -

When an orchestra programs Danzón No. 2 , the audience doesn't lean forward to decipher "difficult" modern music. They lean back, smile, and tap their feet. Márquez achieved what the usual suspects always dream of: a music so natural, so human, that it feels less like a composition and more like a memory of a perfect night.

His breakthrough came in 1994 with . Commissioned by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), it was a gamble. Here was a classically trained composer writing a piece that felt like a smoky nightclub argument erupting into a brass-fueled street party. The work moves from a melancholic, clarinet-driven opening to an explosive, syncopated finale.

If you haven't listened to Danzón No. 2 in the last six months, do so now. Just don't be surprised if you already know every twist and turn. That’s the power of the new usual suspect.