Traditional Portuguese Children’s Songbook with story by Silvia Abreu
1 JUNE (Thursday), 19h30
Music at the University PUBLIC ROOM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LISBON
3JUNE (Saturday), 16h00
MUSEUM OF MONEY, Lisbon
Various composers
A. Delgado (b. 1965)
Trio Camoniano
N. Côrte-Real (b. 1971)
Children’s Songbook “Lagarto Pintado”, op. 48
From the verses of Luís Vaz de Camões (c.1524-c.1580) to the traditional songbook of the Portuguese children’s universe, there seems to be an unbridgeable gap. On one side, the classical erudition of the poet, immersed in the melancholy of his sad fado. On the other, simple popular rhymes. But if in every child there is a poet, all the poets were children. And this double evocation eradicates one of the most recurrent traits of the human condition, the haunting of childlike innocence when faced with the difficult balance of what was done and left undone. The result of a commission from Trio Pangea to Alexandre Delgado (b.1965), Trio Camoniano was premiered at Casa da Música, Porto, on February 27, 2018. The title of the work comes from the fact that each movement has as subtitle a sorrowful verse from Camões: 1º With what voice will I cry my sad fate; 2º My mistakes, bad fortune, burning love; 3º Memória do meu bem cortado em flores. Composed in 2015 by Nuno Côrte-Real (b. 1971), the Cancioneiro Infantil Lagarto Pintado, op.48, assumes itself as a journey through the musical imaginary of many of the listeners, a small fable that derives, like a motto, from the texts of the various melodies summoned. In a luxuriant succession of elegantly interwoven musical ambiances, the harp ostinato of A Caminho de Viseu appears vaguely baroque, and the undulating motifs of Que Linda Falua recall the idyllic Mozartean trio Soave sia il vento. One senses echoes of Schubert lyricism, particularly in the introductions of Josezito, Ó Oliveira da Serra and Machadinha, to which is added the inspired Abertura-Final. Giving life to this work, with scenic conception by Catarina Rolo Salgueiro and implementation of the project by Diana Vaz, we find the Children’s Choir of the University of Lisbon. Founded in 2005 by Erica Mandillo, it has been internationally recognised for the quality and originality of its work, associating movement and theatrical gesture with an impeccable vocality.
