The Sinfonía de Antígona originated from the incidental music Chávez composed for a production of Jean Cocteau's adaptation of Sophocles' tragedy Antigone, given by the group Teatro Orientación at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City in 1932.
[1][2] Two movements of the original theatre music, for a chamber ensemble of seven players, were eventually published by the composer's estate as Antígona, apuntes para la Sinfonía (Antigone, sketches for the Symphony).
The obsessive use throughout the symphony of the two consecutive semitones of this genus creates a ritual atmosphere.
[5] The harmonic idiom employed by Chávez in this symphony systematically avoids conventional triads, replacing them with quartal harmonies generated by superimposing fourths.
[6] Although there are no programmatic references, the music's bleak and austere character reflects the drama for which it was originally created.