Gabriela Ortiz Composes New Work Inspired by The Red Queen
La Reina Roja by Gabriela Ortiz receives its world premiere in July with the Impossible Orchestra, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, and Alondra de la Parra.
Gabriela Ortiz’s new piece for orchestra, La Reina Roja (The Red Queen), receives its world premiere on July 31 at the Festival PAAX GNP in Mexico, where Alondra de la Parra leads the Impossible Orchestra and Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid. Following the world premiere, de la Parra also conducts the Austrian premiere of La Reina Roja with the Bruckner Orchester Linz (Nov 28-29), the Dutch premiere with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw (May 8), and the French premiere at the Philharmonie with the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid (May 22).
Alondra de la Parra has championed Ortiz's music internationally, leading the Brazilian premiere of Téenek – Invenciones de Territorio in 2023, its Spanish premiere in 2025, and performances of Clara with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden in 2025.
La Reina Roja is inspired by the 1994 discovery of the tomb of Tz'akab Ajaw, wife of K'inich Janaab' Pakal ("Pakal the Great"), in Palenque, Mexico. Her remains were covered in the red mineral cinnabar, leading archeologists to identify her as the "Red Queen." At the suggestion of conductor Alondra de la Parra, Ortiz conceived a work inspired by the discovery of the Red Queen, drawn to the opportunity to explore the role of women during the Classic period of Maya civilization.
Journalist Adriana Malvido—an eyewitness to the archaeological discovery—wrote The Red Queen, a book that became a major source of inspiration for Ortiz. Through Malvido's account, the composer became increasingly interested in the human stories and lives transformed by the discovery. Ortiz states, “Without a doubt, this fascinating chronicle opened a door I had never imagined: the world of the senses, of scent, of the sounds of the jungle, of observation, and of the language of stones and sky, but above all, of the passion for curiosity and mystery shared by those who became an essential part of the knowledge behind this story.”
The 20-minute work is composed of five contrasting sections: I. Luminiscencia en rojo (“Luminescence in Red”); II. Geometría de selva y piedra (“Geometry of Jungle and Stone”); III. Cinabrio (“Cinnabar”); IV. Rostro malaquita (“Malachite Face”); and V. Tz’akab Ajaw.
“This narrative arc represents, in some way, within my own sonic imagination, the strength and passion of everything that belongs to both the world of the past and that of the present,” says Ortiz. “This sonic journey begins at dawn, where everything glows in red: the intuition of the revelation of one who remained silent for so many years. It continues through the language of the jungle and the stones that led to the discovery. We then hear the primordial force of cinnabar, a precious material associated with death in Maya culture; we reconstruct, through fractals of sound, the malachite face and its intrinsic beauty, and we conclude with the celebration of finally knowing the identity of the central figure of this story.”
Concert Information
Friday, July 31 at 6pm EST
Diego Hall | Quintana Roo, Mexico
More info
The Impossible Orchestra
Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid
Alondra de la Parra, conductor
Matvey Demin, flute
RICHARD STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28
JACQUES IBERT Flute Concerto
GABRIELA ORTIZ La Reina Roja (World Premiere)
> Further information on Work: La Reina Roja
Photo: Mara Arteaga