MÚSICA VIVA FESTIVAL CELEBRATES FOURTEEN SEASONS

--- Pedro Junqueira Maia Composer. Born in Porto, 1971, he graduat- ed in composition in the Superior Schools of Music of Porto and . He works regularly in music for theatre and his Works were performed all over as well as South Africa, Italy, México and United Kingdom. He was the founder of Atelier de com- posição and publishing director of the editions of the same company. Atelier de Composição has published books about the Portuguese composers Cândido Lima, João Pedro Oliveira, Álvaro Salazar, Fer- nando Lopes Graça and Filipe Pires. He was also musical editor of Águas Fur- tadas, a magazine of Literature, Music and Visual Arts of the Nucleus of Academic Journalism of Porto University. As the artistic director of Memorando Lopes-Graça festival he was awarded the 1st prize ex-aequo on the competition organized by the Portuguese Institute of Arts/Ministry of Culture 2006. He teaches composition both at the Silva Monteiro Secondary Music School of Porto and at the Superior Institute of Intercultural and Transdisciplinary Studies at Portuguese Piaget Institute. ---

CITAR JOURNAL 92 Miso Music is a force to be reck- table strength – getting those tools ing concert. oned with in the contemporary that make such new forms of reflec- In a first glance at the programme Portuguese music scene. From 19th tion possible. As far as contemporary provided by the organisation, we to 27th September last, they offered music is concerned, the Musica Viva came across figures which are, at us another sumptuous edition of Festival has filled this vacuum, con- the very least, impressive: 82 com- Música Viva –International Festival of tributing decisively to breaching the posers represented, of whom 42 Electro-acoustic Music. Now proud serious gaps that should be top of are Portuguese; 124 pieces to be to be in its fourteenth year, and has the cultural policy agenda of govern- performed, 53 of them having their now taken root at the Belém Cultural ments, slowly making its name as world premiere and 15 being com- Centre (CCB), it was under the aus- The contemporary music festival in missioned by Miso Music Portugal pices of Convergence of Multiple Portugal. itself. These are, in fact, striking num- Musical Expressions and Aesthetics All this is also underpinned by the bers, that indicate an event that is that we were able to enjoy, once prestige that has been spreading not to be taken at all lightly. again, contact with what’s going on abroad, where the event has gained Let us talk about the concerts. in contemporary music, in Portugal a great many admirers and collabo- First concert. The emblematic and abroad. rators. The number of works submit- Jerónimos Monastery was chosen as Since the disappearance of the sore- ted to its competitions, year after the venue to present two monumen- ly missed Gulbenkian Foundation’s year, is a measure of its success, now tal works by , programme of Contemporary Music not only in the already internationally the composer of transition pieces Encounters, Miso Music has, in a way, recognised award for a purely elec- in contemporary music, particularly taken on accrued responsibility for tronic work, but also for the newly those using electro-acoustic media. what is now the only annual event created prize for a so-called mixed In a short introduction, Miguel in this area. The responsibility has music work, the joining of acoustic Azguime began by explaining that been undertaken by the directors of instruments and electronic media. this concert had originally been the organisation, headed by Miguel In an interview with the arts maga- prepared together with the com- Azguime, its artistic director, who zine of the city of Coimbra, Jaime poser himself, but eventually be- has guided it on the best course to Reis, one of the most promising came a tribute following his recent achieve its objectives, confirming young composers for the continu- death. The programme comprised the festival as a place of excellence ation of contemporary Portuguese the Portuguese premiere of Mixtur, in promoting contemporary music in music, said that whenever he goes rendered in its two versions, as Portugal. abroad there are always three things planned, the original and the retro- Taking up the title provided by its that crop up about Portugal in grade. In between, at Stockhausen’s organisers, the culture of a country conversations between musicians: express wish, we had the opportu- can only be made up of converging Emmanuel Nunes, the most interna- nity to hear the dazzling Canto dos multiple musical expressions and tional of our composers, the impec- Adolescentes, a pioneering work in aesthetics. It is necessary (one might cable Remix Ensemble, from Oporto, the history of electronic music, us- even say imperative), to have access, and this Musica Viva. ing the human voice and its trans- to see, to hear, to feel and to experi- So, after this preamble, it is only formations. It is indeed a monument ment as much as possible, art or not fair that we extol here the spirit and as programming goes. The success art, at least to have the opportunity energy of all those who make Miso of the concert could not have been to chose whatever pleases one most Music happen. greater, whether for the works, for from everything on offer. Only like Let us then go on to the most recent the performance, for the venue, for this can we acquire the tools that Festival. the audience or even for the rather provide us with new ways of think- The actual festival is defined as “an remarkable atmosphere created. In a ing, which will give us new ideas and international, broad, recognised full-to-capacity Monastery, the con- therefore have different and more space for renovation and encoun- cert became a delirious event, with chances of living a better and hap- ter of the sound metamorphoses of teeming pews, standing public eve- pier life. And, as one public figure music today”, and some important rywhere, and even people sitting on in our society, the neurologist João institutions in Portuguese culture the floor of this centuries-old land- Lobo Antunes, says, ‘we live to be were involved in this year’s edition. mark. If we add to this the hearing of happy’. Hence the fundamental im- CCB, as mentioned before, was works which, despite their fifty years portance of contemporary art and of joined by the Gulbenkian orchestras of existence, are still utterly contem- events of the nature and magnitude and, for the first time, the Lisbon porary, seemingly impervious to time that we are dealing with here, be- Metropolitan Orchestra, which was (incredibly more contemporary than cause it is precisely in this that lies its entrusted with the most enticing most modern music that one hears tenacious effectiveness, its indomi- event of the programme, the open- about, if we were frank), the whole

CITAR JOURNAL 93 event was even more remarkable and in which twenty miniature electronic at Jerónimos). noteworthy. (But is timelessness not musical pieces from all over the The evening included a concert in precisely one of the conditions for world were heard. The space chosen the Gulbenkian Foundation audito- the work of art to be exactly that: a was perfect (the public entrance lob- rium by the Gulbenkian Orchestra. “work of art”?) by at CCB) because it allowed any- Alongside composers who are The musical direction of Mixtur was one visiting CCB or even just passing already classics in contemporary entrusted to Pedro Amaral, an al- by to have sound contact with the music, the programme offered the ready acknowledged composer in works, whether or not they attended premiere of a work by a young the national and international musi- the festival or had any knowledge Portuguese composer, Bruno cal arenas, who has devoted himself that an event devoted precisely to Gabirro, commissioned by Miso (extremely confidently, we should this theme was taking place there. Music. add) to conducting. In a notoriously Besides so many and such prolific The emblematic Calling Across Time, difficult piece to control, he exercised activities, Miso Music also found by the British composer, Jonathan blameless rigour throughout. The no the time to create and promote a Harvey, was followed by a very beau- less famous Canto dos Adolescentes contemporary musical group, called tiful piece by Philippe Hurel in tribute came across as ecstatic. The speak- Sond’Ar-te, which filled the space for to Claude Debussy’s Prelude à l’aprés ers, scattered around in every cor- mixed music. Another concert was Midi d’un faune. My preference, how- ner, worked in the most amazingly presented here, this time with a pre- ever, was for Requies, by Luciano beautiful way. It is terribly exciting to dominantly Portuguese programme. Berio, a composition with a charm- realise, once again, and specially in It drew attention to the work of ing orchestral refinement typical of these particular conditions provided João Pedro Oliveira, the Portuguese Berio. by a wide space, the incredible pro- composer who has been amassing Worthy of special mention is the pre- duction of this work 52 years ago, an impressive array of national and miere of the work by Bruno Gabirro, bearing in mind the means available international awards, with Timshel for violin and orchestra which, de- at the time, i.e. the non-existence of (commissioned by Miso Music), as spite certain unsure moments, which computers. It is rare for a concert to well as Itinerário de Luz, by Enrique are to be expected from a young be so outstanding. X. Macias (whose double CD with man just out of college, showed On the second day of the festival, the same title was launched dur- great potential. After all, it is an or- different proposals were presented, ing the festival). The programme chestral piece, not an easy thing to all of them with their electronic com- also included younger composers, perform alongside the magnificence ponent brought powerfully to the among them Duarte Dinis Silva, who of a Berio, for example. I shall look fore. The Interactive Lounge space won an honourable mention in the out keenly for further work by him. provided us with contact with a se- competition promoted by the group. Another aspect the festival has been ries of installations created by vari- Entitled Paralelus II, the piece, tainted promoting is drama. Here was in- ous artists, including students from with some pop nuances, as I would cluded Contos contados... Contados sound and image schools, such as call them (which is not meant to be com Som, a piece defined as electro- ETIC (Image and Communication in any way deprecating) is a lovely acoustic theatre for children. As its Technical School). work although, in my frank opinion, title suggests, it consists of the nar- Among the projects on show in this with not enough electronics. To com- ration of tales by several authors, and Interactive Lounge, a special men- plete the programme, the powerful different composers were invited to tion should be made of TT_Ano[4x], Mimesis II, by the Polish Ryszard compose music for each of the sto- by Simão Costa, for digital piano, Osada (powerful perhaps as a result, ries. The stylistic diversity chosen by Disklavier and computer, in which, according the programme notes, each (no doubt according to their based on the combined work of the of this young man’s extensive work own creative characteristics) was famous Yamaha pianos known for in the field of rock music) and by very interesting, from a simple guitar “playing by themselves” with specific Patrícia Sucena de Almeida’s Arena, accompaniment to purely descrip- software (like the no less famous Insidiis Noctis Serenae..., a piece filled tive electronic music and some more Max/MSP), the construction of a new with musical lyricism in which music abstract compositions. I would single instrument was somehow attempted combines with a video presentation, out A Menina dos Olhos de Chuva, (and was indeed successful). The in a joint work with Daniel Antero. a story by Anne Lauricella, with mu- result was rather interesting and has Sond’Ar-te is a very incisive group, sic by Ângela Lopes, a composer the potential, if properly exploited, to naturally owing to the excellent emerging as one of the most inter- yield powerful and important fruit. quality of the musicians but also esting voices to keep an eye on in One of this year’s interesting ideas undoubtedly and particularly to the Portuguese electro-acoustic music. was the so-called Sound Walk, an musical direction of Pedro Amaral The following event in the festival audio corridor of electronic works, (he of the monumental Stockhausen brought us a solo violin recital by

CITAR JOURNAL 94 José Machado. An instrumental- Catalonia, José Iges, Concha Jerez the composer of the twenty thou- ist who collaborated with Jorge and Pedro López, with another event sand years of the prehistoric cave Peixinho of whose Contemporary combining theatrical and sound ele- drawings in the Côa valley. The in- Music group Group of Lisbon he was ments, more linked here to the word strumentalist creates a dialogue with (and still is) a member, he presented and its transformations. Vox Vocis, a the electronics, which is his particular four world premieres of exclusively so-called “intermedia” show, gives a domain. The work can be presented Portuguese works. So many pre- clear importance to voice, going on in different versions, for solo instru- mieres in a concert is something to add sparsely gathered recordings, ment or with a varying number of worth noting, and the works and in a continual dialogue with a video clarinets or even with electronic their composers deserve a men- and real-time electronics, also trans- spatialisations of the same, and it tion: De Profundis by Paulo Ferreira formed into an instrument invented was the latter that we heard in this Lopes, Cadenza by Nuno Miguel for the performance – a sort of met- instance. We were only sorry not to Henriques, X/Hailes by Pedro Rebelo allophone, with amplified bars and have had the opportunity to hear and lastly Densidades by Clotilde sensors adjusted to them. these works through the loudspeaker Rosa. A harpist by profession, who In the evening, there was a concert orchestra, rather than being limited ventured into composing at Jorge by a group of recent graduates from to four channels as they were, since Peixinho’s behest, Clotilde Rosa pre- Slovakia, who not only showed that they are works that lend themselves sented the most interesting premiere they could play but also that they to this sound complex, and it would (once again older musicians showing were keen on what they were do- only have enriched them. younger music), in an electronic work ing. I should particularly mention the The Duo Confusion, comprising the which relied on the collaboration of musicians’ attention to their direc- composer and electronics operator João Pedro Oliveira who, according tor/conductor. Alongside renowned Sascha Lino Lemke and the actress to the programme notes, “found” the names, such as the Italian, Luigi Marcia Lemke-Kern, performed two sounds that Rosa wanted. Nono, and the Frenchmen, Tristan works, Museum and #Un4Scene#, a The intense The Missing Miss, by the Murail and Michael Jarrell, there were performance combining music, thea- much-missed , com- works by Vladimir Bokes, Roman tre and video, using real-time tech- pleted the programme. This work, Berger, António Ferreira, Ivan Buffa nology as their main interconnecting dedicated to José Machado, who (the group’s director), Petra Oliveira axis. premiered it, starts from the famous Bachratá, Salvatore Sciarrino and One of Musica Viva’s most important loose strings of the instrument in a Viera Janárceková, alternating instru- initiatives is definitely the Electro- clear allusion to Alban Berg’s To the mental and pure electronics work. At acoustic Composition Competition. Memory of an Angel. the peril of being accused of bias, I For this edition, the jury included, One of the festival’s highlights was am partial to the French. Murail is ab- besides the director of Música Viva, undoubtedly the famous loudspeaker solutely brilliant and Jarrell extremely Robert Normandeau, from Canada, orchestra, a unique model in Portugal accomplished. I must, however, also and Folkmar Hein, from Berlin’s for properly enjoying electro-acous- mention Sciarrino, and his miniature Technische Universitãt, who voted tic music pieces. The next concert for clarinet and string quartet. for the works Jeu Fabrique, by the presented, in this delicious sound The following afternoon brought us a Australian Daniel Blinkhorn, Electric complex, works composed in the concert in two distinct parts: the first Sheep, by George Dennis, from the creative electro-acoustic labora- was by the clarinettist Nuno Pinto, United Kingdom, and And Death... by tory of Miso Music and in the studio who has released a CD of contem- the American Jason L. Bolte. There of the Technishe Universität Berlin. porary Portuguese music for clarinet, was also an honourable mention From the former studios, we heard and the second devoted to musical for The Maelstrom Method, by the Ricardo Guerreiro (another upcom- theatre and video, created by the German Volker Hennes. Under the ing Portuguese young musicians) Duo Confusion. heading “Best Portuguese Piece”, and Manuella Blackburn, the winner Nuno Pinto gave us two works for Metamorfose by Sérgio Félix Mota of last year’s Musica Viva competi- clarinet and electronics. The first, was selected. The concert where tion; from the latter had pieces by Upon a Ground II, by Virgílio Melo, is these prize-winning works were Unsuk Chin (which turned out to be based on the work of the same name presented also included several the evening’s most interesting piece), for solo clarinet, here with a very Canadian pieces for pure electron- Werner Cee, Clemenes Nachtmann, interesting counterpoint between the ics, presented by one of the judges, Mário Verandi, Vladimir Djambazov instrument and the electronics that Robert Normandeau, some of whose and Clara Maïda, in an array of young consisted in transformations of the works were also heard. I would sin- people’s work, alongside established clarinet itself. gle out the winning compositions names. The second, Ncaãncoa, by Cândido in particular, since I thought some The following day, we had, from Lima, is a personal interpretation by of the others were more typical of

CITAR JOURNAL 95 pop music than anything else (the in the style of Harrison Birtwistle quartet, who also came to Portugal reader can take this as he likes). I (from whom Bochmann learned). to record a CD. They opened the would, however, offer a note of criti- Beautiful early works already display- programme with Shadow Quartet, cism of the volume used to present ing sharp skills and a very individual by Pedro Rebelo, in which literally a works in the loudspeaker orchestra. sonority, which are hallmarks of this “shadow quartet” (four violins sus- Occasionally, I felt that the potential composer. pended in mid-air, one right above power was overexploited. It was too As the festival drew to a close, there each real musician) creates an inter- loud for me. Maybe not everyone were still two hot tickets: the one esting resonance of the group itself. would agree, but I do think it is un- ending this evening, by the Crash Pedro Amaral, of whom we would called for, and hinders the enjoyment Ensemble, and the Smith Quartet have liked to have heard more, pre- of the music somewhat. for the final concert. The former was sented Página Postiça, a work the With a healthy portion of the pro- heralded by the New York Times composer says is the first in which gramme dedicated to the promo- as “the Irish new-music band that he adopts a theme for creating an tion of Portuguese music, we heard plays with the energy and spirit of instrumental piece. There was also from some young performers who a rock group”. Without wishing to an opportunity to hear Labirinto, have created one of the latest wind decry this spirit and the energy that by João Pedro Oliveira, Horizon, quintets, which has been gradually they display on stage, I again felt, by Carlos Caires, and closing the making a quality mark – Diaphonia. however, that there was a touch Portuguese contribution, Paraître Natália Monteiro on flute, David “too much” amplification. Amongst Parmi, by Miguel Azguime, a curious Costa on oboe, Samuel Pascoal on the works played, we heard com- composition based on the collapse clarinet, Thomas Gomes on French positions by their director, the com- of a single note, which he starts with horn and Tiago Paraíso on bassoon, poser Donnacha Dennehy, by John in clear and distinct intermediate all recent graduates from Lisbon Godfrey, Evan Ziporyn, Paulo Ferreira relationships. Steve Reich’s minimal- Music Conservatoire, performed Lopes and Philip Glass. I would add ism, with Triple Quartet was, as men- Portuguese works and works by a special note for the evening’s pre- tioned before, the closing work. composers living in Portugal, along miere, Schlaf der Schatten, by the By way of a final balance, if I wanted with the beautiful Ten Pieces for (very interesting) Portuguese com- to look for black spots in such a Wind Quintet by Ligeti. Worthy of poser, and for the work chosen to magnificent event, the truth is that, note in this concert was the choice finish the concert, Music in Similar amongst so many positive aspects, to play start or end of career works Motion, by Philip Glass, which was if by chance there were any negative from the composers in question. By accompanied by a video spewing out ones, and there must have been, they Portuguese authors, we heard the hundreds of images at an fascinat- were completely overshadowed by very interesting Quintet by Frederico ing rate (the programme notes say the former. Let us simply remember de Freitas, a mature work in which he there are 8,400, at eight frames per the figures we mentioned at the be- makes inroads into twelve-tone mu- second) which can actually leave ginning as we first browsed through sic; Wanderung, by João Madureira, the viewer quite dazed. One almost the souvenir programme: “82 com- one of the works from his student feels compelled to draw an interest- posers, of whom 42 are Portuguese; days; and also Sete Lembranças ing parallel with modern life and its 124 pieces to be performed, 53 of para Vieira da Silva, by Lopes Graça, frenzied pace, perhaps even, as one them having their world premiere whose hundredth birthday was re- Portuguese painter said, “too fast, and 15 being commissioned by Miso cently celebrated all over the country even for me who likes speed”. Music Portugal itself”. These were (if only he were alive!). As for the music, Glass is Glass, mini- indeed impressive figures. We can As for foreign composers, we heard malism is minimalism. I would like to only wish for another, and another, the world premiere of Zéfiro con mention here a remark by another and many more editions. Uccelli, by Ivan Moody, which, in- minimalist, Michael Nyman, when spired by the composer’s journey he said that minimalist music could across Italy, refers us immediately, either make us mad or take us to as the name clearly suggests, to unimaginable places. So, it’s up to Monteverdi. We must not forget, ei- you where it takes you. The work of ther, the abovementioned 10 Pieces another minimalist, Steve Reich (he, by Ligeti, exceptionally rendered in indeed, can take me to other dimen- a virtuoso performance. The concert sions), was reserved for the last day, was completed with Três Bagatelas, for the final concert of the Festival. by Christopher Bochmann, which, as Last day, closing concert. The Smith the composer’s own notes indicate, Quartet, a brilliant group play- are inspired by the works of Webern ing contemporary music for string

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