Composer, researcher, and Associate Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Paulo Ferreira-Lopes is In Focus on the MIC.PT in May, to mark his 60th anniversary.
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This piece was written as part of the 'Vanguarda na Aldeia' programme carried out by the ensemble Síntese - Grupo de Música Contemporânea and constructed from material collected during a three-day residency in the village of Lamas de Orelhão. This consists of photographs, on-site recordings and interviews with the inhabitants.
The piece is divided into three large paintings - the first 'Bruma' tells the legend of Santa Comba and São Leonardo. The sound material for this movement was strongly inspired by the surrounding geography, which has a strong presence in the narrative.
The second is entitled 'Pranto', where not only the text but also the music makes reference to village life, focusing on the weavers and the machinery they use. In this movement, the various sounds recorded on the loom were the reference point, as was the machinery used by the farmers so present in the surrounding area.
Finally, the last movement is entitled 'Antemanhã', which briefly alludes to birds and pastoralism and the sounds they create. Together with the title, the material used in the orchestration that emerged in one of the recordings along the footpaths opens up the perspective to a future-present, questioning what tomorrow means for the people of Lamas de Orelhão.Before embarking on the composition process, there was a first moment of transformation of the material which, together with the orchestration, sought to cross the mythopoetic space of the village with the eco-acoustic space that surrounds it.
'Bruma' was based on filtering the various available versions of the legend of Santa Comba and São Leonardo online, 'Pranto' was based on the alminhas and the interview with D. Fátima about the life of the weavers in the village and its current position. The last poem, 'Antemanhã', was more personal, once again with a visual reference to the shrines with the angel and the olive oil like gold flowing down the cliff.
Rúben Borges
Commission
Date 2023
Commissioning Body Síntese - Grupo de Música Contemporânea
