PORTUGAL João Madureira Magnificat, ou a insubmissa voz (Magnificat, or the non- submissive voice) - for choir, flute, clarinet and harp (2014) [dur. 16’50”]

Performed by the Officium Ensemble (cond. Petro Teixeira); João Pereira Coutinho (flute); Luís Gomes (clarinet); Ana Castanhito (harp)

© Teresa Santos

Magnificat, or “maybe the most beautiful poem ever written”, as Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen once said. “Between two worlds, at the crossroads of history, a woman stands up and recites the poem of Salvation” (Jornal de Letras, 16/2/1982). A poem that, once read with our eyes - eyes washed by the tears of those who find it -, continues to address us, promising and allowing us to see so much that we fear will, in our hands, remain unfulfilled. It is of no surprise, thus, that so many poets have been extremely responsive to this poem. A poem that is made by the labour of hands of various generations and that, carried by so many poets to us, offers vivid testimony to our condition. Because of its composite nature, past and future, this text is framed here by the poetry of Camões and of Jorge de Sena. But at the core of this poem we find woman. Because this poem is also the consecration of the crucial role of women in human history. The consecration of someone who does not hesitate in understanding herself as elected among men. And for me this female condition of Magnificat is undoubtedly one of its central aspects. Yes, we talk about a non-submissive voice. A voice which accompanies us around the corner, in the bars, in coffee shops, through the streets. A voice that inhabits the vivid faces filmed by Pedro Costa, the beautiful photos by Daniel Blaufuks and each object and sign of the exhibition curated by Paulo Pires do Vale. I chose José Tolentino Mendonça’s translation of this beautiful poem from the Gospel of Saint Luke (Rosa do Mundo. 2001 poemas para o futuro, 2001). The three movements of the piece reflect the three-part structure of the Magnificat, as described by José Tolentino Mendonça in an essay on the poem (O tesouro escondido, 2011). The first movement sings Mary’s personal vocation, the second sings the world’s transformation, and the last movement sings the mission of the People of God and its Salvation. I let the choir - in which the feminine voices stand out - be accompanied by three instruments that I consider to be particularly suited to working with the beautiful voices of the Officium Ensemble: flute, clarinet and harp. This piece would not be possible without the precious help of Alfredo Teixeira, Carlos Antunes, Francisco d'Orey Manoel, José Cedoura, José Tolentino Mendonça, Luís Bragança Gil, Maria Margarida Montenegro, Mécia de Sena, Paulo Estudante, Paulo Pires do Vale, Paulo Sarmento, Pedro Moreira, Tomás Maia, and without the priceless collaboration of the conductor Pedro Teixeira, the dedication and talent of each choir singer and of the three musicians that joined us in this journey: Ana Castanhito, João Pereira Coutinho and Luís Gomes. Magnificat, ou a insubmissa voz is dedicated to the memory of each child looked after by Santa Casa da Misericórdia. João Madureira João Madureira (, 1971) João Madureira's production includes orchestral music, chamber music, operatic music and music for solo instruments, as well as film and theatre music. His works have been presented in several international festivals throughout , in Asia and , by several ensembles such as the Ensemble Neue Musik, the OrchestrUtopica, the Remix Ensemble, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the National Ukranian Symphonic Orchestra, the Lisbon Contemporary Music Group, the Ensemble L'Itinéraire, the Sound'Arte Electric Ensemble, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Sete Lágrimas consort, and the Officium Ensemble. His work has been commissioned, among others, by the Portuguese Republican Presidency, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Fundação das Descobertas, the Mafra International Music Festival, the Estoril International Music Festival, the Miso Music , the Cornucópia Theatre Company, the Casa da Música in Porto, the Culturgest Foundation, the Grupo de Música Contemporânea de Lisboa, the OrchestrUtopica, the Fátima Sancturary, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, the Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival, the Ensemble Darcos and the Estoril Lisboa Festival. In October 1998 João Madureira was awarded the ACARTE / Maria Madalena Azeredo Perdigão prize of the Gulbenkian Foundation for his piece «Poemúsica». His work is recorded on labels such as La Ma de Guido (Barcelona, Spain, LMG 2042 and LMG 2115), Deux-Elles (UK, DXL 1087), Arte das Musas (Portugal, MU 0106 Silêncio and MU 0108 Vento), Numérica (Portugal, BOM 1002), and AVA Musical Editions (AVA161486). After studying composition in Lisbon, João Madureira studied with Franco Donatoni (in Siena), with York Höller (for his advanced studies in Cologne, where he obtained his "Künstler Diplom im Fach Komposition") and with Ivan Fedele (Strasbourg). He has recently defended his doctoral dissertation in Historical Musicology at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, focusing on Luciano Berio's operatic work. Madureira teaches Composition at the Escola Superior de Música in Lisbon. Further information can be found at www.joaomadureira.org

Notes and biography provided by the composer and current to 2018 Composer’s contact : [email protected]