A Recording and Performance Guide for Iván Enrique Rodríguez’s Críptico No. 7 and Latency Denouement

Puerto Rico’s unique colonial history has played a pivotal role in shaping its complex cultural identity. The fusion of diverse influences has led to varying expressions determining what constitutes Puerto Rican culture, with ongoing debates determining how to define and represent it. Dr. Iván Enrique Rodríguez (b. 1990) contributes to this ongoing exploration of Puerto Rican identity in music. He believes the most authentic way to express his Puerto Rican identity is through the reflection of his personal experiences interwoven with folkloric rhythms and motives from Puerto Rican heritage. His two solo violin pieces, Críptico No. 7 and Latency Denouement, capture contrasting perspectives on what it means to be Puerto Rican.Críptico No. 7 (2014) is based on a form that Rodríguez created himself. He first writes a text that he later translates into the score by assigning notes of a selected scale to each letter of the alphabet. Rodríguez destroys the original text, providing the performer the oportunity to engage in an analytical examination of the piece in order to form a deeper, more holistic interpretation. Latency Denouement (2020), composed during the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses Rodríguez’s experiences with systemic racism as a minority in the United States, capturing the complex emotions tied to this shared global crisis. As a Puerto Rican violinist, I bring my own insight into interpreting Rodriguez’s work, finding that these pieces resonate deeply with my personal and cultural experience. This connection enhances my understanding of how to approach the techniques and emotions in both pieces. Through this paper and recording project, I aim to offer performance tools for Críptico No. 7 and Latency Denouement situating both pieces in broader context.