Hasta la vista.

Mario Lavista, the much-decorated Mexican composer, died yesterday at the age of 78.

Lavista was born in Mexico City in 1943. He studied with Carlos Chávez and Jean-Étienne Marie, receiving additional instruction from Rodolfo Halffter, Nadia Boulanger, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, among others. He experimented with improvisation and electronic music, and applied that same curiosity in his quest for unusual timbres employing acoustic instruments and extended techniques. He founded and edited Pauta, one of the most significant music journals in Latin America. His sacred music was influenced by Medieval and Renaissance procedures. He also composed for theater and film.

Lavista’s music is imaginative, beautiful and transporting. Gracias, Maestro, y que descanse en paz.

“Cuaderno de viaje” for solo violin

“Clepsidra” for orchestra

“Danza Isorritmica” for percussion ensemble

“Reflejos de la Noche” for string quartet

“Maithuna” for voice and percussion

“Responsorio In Memoriam Rodolfo Halffter” for bassoon, bass drums, and tubular bells

Lavista plays “Jaula” on a prepared piano. Music begins at 1:36.