Variations on Folk Themes – From a young age I was exposed to the magical world of oral traditions. My father frequently took me on his field trips around Portugal, and so it became only natural for me to be part of this “adventure” that was the discovery of my roots. During these past years I have been lucky to collaborate with my father in his research center at the University of Lisbon as a cataloguer of the incredible field work collected by Fernando Lopes-Graça and Michel Giacommetti, and of my father’s own writings regarding folktales and traditions. As a result of this atmosphere that surrounded me for so many years, I gathered from my subconscious some gestures, colors, and musical textures that define in a certain way “our” traditions. This collection of four small movements, a set of variations on folk-like themes, reflects my exploration of particular motives and cells. Some movements have a more obvious folk tone while some are much more discrete, using folk-like motives in simultaneous layers and textures. Thus, I treat them as a kind of introverted commentary on what are “our” main gestures, if I can call them that – an approach to connect my past (a result of my upbringing) with my own future growth as a composer.

I. Minotaure aveugle guidé dans la nuit par une petite fille (Blind Minotaur guided by a little girl at night)

II. La Minotauromachie

The work is a diptych that reflects my impressions of two of Pablo Picasso’s etchings dating from 1934-35. Both of these are dedicated to the half-man and half-bull ancient mythical figure of the Minotaur– “the bull of Minos” – a creature born as a result of the union between Pasiphaë (wife of King Minos) and a bull. Later – and also in Ovid’s Metamorphoses – King Minos of Crete imprisons the Minotaur in a labyrinth built by Daedalus and his son Icarus. The bestial creature is eventually killed by Theseus. During his intense creative process Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) usually worked in series, thus focusing on specific themes. The figure of the Minotaur was a recurrent theme in the artist’s iconography, figuring as a sort of alter-ego of the artist.

The first movement, Minotaure aveugle guidé dans la nuit par une petite fille (Blind Minotaur guided by a little girl at night) is characterized by its nocturnal atmosphere and sense of abandonment. Here, the blind Minotaur is represented by the cello, the little girl by the piano. The little girl’s melody emerges in the piano later in the movement, leading the Minotaur through the night. The figures of the beast and the little girl are developed in contrast with each other.

La Minotauromachie is one of the most celebrated etchings by Picasso dedicated to the figure of “the bull of Minos” and it depicts simultaneous actions and themes. The figure of the Minotaur and the little girl reappear within a more dense and confined context. The second movement of the diptych evolves around a particular flamenco cycle (bulerias). Although the music undergoes a process of deconstruction in which the rhythmic cycle (12 beats) is continuously broken, the cycle remains as the underlying structure of the entire movement, endowing it with a semi-rondo quality. This movement is built in opposition to the first regarding space and process; while the first movement is open and horizontal, the second is more confined and vertical in its structure.

 

Três Poemas (Three Poems) is inspired by my father’s poem of the same title. It was originally written for the AR Ensemble (double woodwind quintet) under the direction of conductor Alberto Roque.

The work has a somewhat neoclassical undertone and is divided into three contrasting episodes, following the form of the poem. The first movement, Súbito, o deserto súbito (Suddenly, the Sudden Desert ) depicts, through static textures, an arid and raw landscape, while Junto das magnólias (Near the Magnolias ) is built upon a simple melody, a remembrance of lost childhood. Closing the work, Súbito, o súbito mar (Suddenly, the Sudden Sea ) contrasts with the first movement, using a vocabulary that is harmonically similar yet texturally distinct.