The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.
In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:
Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)
Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez
In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:
Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce
Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":
Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara
Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":
Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso
Other members in the history of the group:
Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra
La Indiferencia
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me hace temer por otra dulce herida,
Veo en tu corazón latir pañuelos
Y adivino en tus ojos la partida.
Sé que debo partir sin darme vuelta,
Sé que llegó la hora de dejarte,
Sé que debo borrarte de mi angustia
Así mata mi amor la indiferencia
Con que miras mi marcha hacia el olvido
Pues el olvido brota de la ausencia.
Cuando el otro no entiende lo vivido
Ni comprende lo herido y lo sufrido
Se apaga la pasión en la conciencia
The lyrics of Inti-Illimani's song "La Indiferencia" speak of the pain of indifference in a relationship. The opening lines, "Tu indiferencia me hiela la sangre, Me hace temer por otra dulce herida", describe the fear and emotional numbness that can come from being with someone who is indifferent to your feelings. The singer of the song is acutely aware of the other person's lack of emotion, sensing it in their heart and seeing it in their eyes as they prepare to leave.
The following lines, "Sé que debo partir sin darme vuelta, Sé que llegó la hora de dejarte, Sé que debo borrarte de mi angustia Y nunca más volver a dibujarte", express the singer's recognition of the need to leave the relationship and begin to process the emotions that have been stirred up. Despite the pain of separation, the singer understands that staying in a relationship marked by indifference would be even more damaging.
The final lines of the song, "Cuando el otro no entiende lo vivido Ni comprende lo herido y lo sufrido Se apaga la pasión en la conciencia", speak to the profound sense of loss that comes from being with someone who cannot or will not connect emotionally. The singer mourns the end of their relationship but recognizes that passion cannot survive where indifference has taken root.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu indiferencia me hiela la sangre,
Your indifference makes my blood run cold
Me hace temer por otra dulce herida,
I fear another sweet wound
Veo en tu corazón latir pañuelos
I see handkerchiefs beating in your heart
Y adivino en tus ojos la partida.
And I guess the parting in your eyes
Sé que debo partir sin darme vuelta,
I know I must leave without turning back
Sé que llegó la hora de dejarte,
I know it's time to leave you behind
Sé que debo borrarte de mi angustia
I know I must erase you from my distress
Y nunca más volver a dibujarte.
And never again draw you.
Así mata mi amor la indiferencia
This is how my love kills indifference
Con que miras mi marcha hacia el olvido
You look at my march towards oblivion
Pues el olvido brota de la ausencia.
Because oblivion springs from absence
Cuando el otro no entiende lo vivido
When the other does not understand what happened
Ni comprende lo herido y lo sufrido
Nor understands the wounded and the suffering
Se apaga la pasión en la conciencia
The passion fades in consciousness.
Contributed by Amelia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fanny
on Hermanochay
Hola, mi padre tenia un grupo de musica andina y cantaba esta cancion. Mi padre hoy ya no está y me hubiera gustado entender la letra, no encuentro traducción por ningún lado, alguien sabe la traducción?