Zenith of the Maya

By 200 B.C. the Mayan civilization was expansive, from the Yucatan Peninsula well into Central America. Their highly advanced technology still amazes us today, including their discovery of an accurate calendar derived from detailed astronomical observations and the use of the "0" in sophisticated mathematics.

I. Royal ceremony and sacrifice of renewal
The first movement describes Mayan civilization at its zenith. An initial theme heralds admiration for a great king. A graceful choral then captures the magnificent setting of the Mayan world. After a folk melody for the populace, the agitated scene of a sacrificial ceremony is portrayed. The regal theme appears again in the coda, concluding in brilliance. This great civilization vanished in 10 A.D., leaving only remnants of a remarkably prosperous world. Thousands of ruins large and small remain locked in a dense world of jungle, with huge crumbled cities having lain forgotten for eight centuries.

II. Glorious ruins still arise
II characterizes this civilization from glory, to destruction, to the present with its buried ruins. To begin, stone cities wait silently cloaked in jungle, steadfastly eluding discovery. As time passes slowly, the music reflects back to the glory of the Maya. Though wishing to turn back the hands of time for this incredible civilization, its fate and the gravity of its loss are carried forward in the profound silence of eternal loss. Finally, in the present, we marvel at the thousands of elegant remains, with a choral of praise for those with remarkable wisdom and strength, in a spectacular conclusion.

(Satoshi Yagisawa)