Portuguese Music from the 17th and 20th Centuries

Coro Gulbenkian (Portugal)

16/10;Thursday;8 pm     Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium     Tickets: MOP 250, 180, 120

Maestro: Jorge Matta
Sérgio Silva, Organ

PROGRAMME
Anonym Dark Villancicos of Santa Cruz de Coimbra: Sá qui turo zente pleta, Ola plimo Baciao, Quando a la corriente, and others
F. Lopes Graca: Três Esconjuros
C. Bochmann: Brazilian songs
E. Carrapatoso: Pequeno poemário de Pessanha (Commission of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | world premiere) / Song Cycle from Angola and Mozambique: O que me diz o vento tropical

Portuguese musical and cultural influences extended from Brazil and Angola to the beautiful shores of Macao! Brought to you by the undisputed artistic elegance of the Coro Gulbenkian under the distinguished direction of Jorge Matta, Portuguese Music of the 17th and 20th Centuriespresents an exhilarating musical dialogue between colourful historical repertories and contemporary works by Portuguese composers. The monastery of Santa Cruz in the city of Coimbra was one of the most important Portuguese musical centres during the 17th and 18th centuries. A good number of its highly cultivated monks absorbed in their musical language the cultural melting pot that Portuguese society was becoming with the arrival of maritime expeditions from all corners of the world, including an increasing number of African and occasionally Amerindian slaves. Among the most fashionable popular songs was a common poetic and musical form called “Villancico.” These sacred folksongs celebrating the Nativity were performed in a variety of languages, and became magnificent examples of the inherent cultural exchange between Portugal and its colonies. This concert also features the exceptionally rich musical incantations of Fernando Lopes-Graca, and the invigorating impressions of Brazil, musically encoded by Christopher Bochmann. And let’s not forget the music of Eurico Carrapatoso, who set poetry by Camilo Pessanha, a Portuguese symbolist who made Macao his home. Together with the intoxicating tropical breezes of Angola and Mozambique, this programme promises to be a highlight of this year’s festival.

Duration: approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes, including one interval