In a special concert new to the 2010-2011 season, the Sinfonietta commemorates the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) honoring the dearly departed. Guest conductor Hector Guzman leads the orchestra through vivid sounds and imagery that contrasts the somber European traditions of mourning with the more jubilant celebrations of Latino cultures. Featured compositions include Modest Mussorgsky’s darkly haunting Night on Bald Mountain; the slow but passionate Pavane for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel; the three-part Nights in the Gardens of Spain, by Manuel de Falla, featuring Joaquín Achúcarro on piano; and the celebratory Popul-Vuh by the self-taught composer Eugenio Toussaint. The concert continues with Arturo Márquez’s Danzon No.2, a reflection on the popular Cuban dance style; the nuevo tango stylings of Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion; and finally, José Pablo Moncayo’s Huapango, inspired by the popular music of Veracruz.