This work was commissioned by Orquestra Clássica do Centro in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the
Quarteto Vintage.
A work with special contours – being the first work for clarinet quartet and orchestra; be
premiered in Coimbra, where I was born.
The work's motto is the poem Quinto: D. AFONSO HENRIQUES, from Fernando Pessoa's Message:
King Afonso Henriques
Father, you were a knight.
Today the vigil is ours.
Give us your full example
And the fullness of your strength!
Give us, to ward against that stray hour
When new infidels hold sway,
Your blessing as a sword,
Your sword as a blessing!
(translation 1997 Prof. Mike Harland)
In this work I make an immediate parallel to the text and the 4 elements related
to my family. We are, indeed, each other's sword and blessing. And before
there were also 4 of us: father, mother and two brothers. We were also each
other's sword and blessing. It's a uniting piece. Perhaps what we lack as a people
– being each other’s space and blessing as a society.
After the premiere of A Benção como Espada, a Espada como Benção, the figure of
D. Dinis soon emerged, with a strong connection to the city of Coimbra, the
Portuguese language, knowledge, nature.
This important figure in Portuguese History was the motto for a following piece, this time,
for clarinet quartet only.
Ana Seara
