The Portuguese guitar is different from all other guitars. This is due not only to the six double orders of metal strings, the tuning, the pear-shaped soundhole or the fan-shaped tuning peg. It turns out that the Portuguese guitar is much more than a guitar. It carries a symbolism associated with fado, urban bohemia, the roots and historical identity of our country. It also happens to be an instrument with unmistakable technical and expressive capabilities. So much so that it is inevitable that its repertoire will expand to include a variety of musical styles, far beyond “tourist performances”. Today it also plays a leading role in classical orchestras. In this context, the OML premieres two concert works in this program. The first, Uma Estranha Melodia Feita de Todos os Sonhos (A Strange Melody Made of All Dreams), is written by the soloist Miguel Amaral, one of the most prominent figures in recent years on the “contemporary” Portuguese guitar scene. Also premiering is the Concerto for Guitar by Dimitris Andrikopoulos, a Greek composer trained in the Netherlands who has been teaching at ESMAE (Porto) since 2004. In between, conductor Pedro Neves interprets Vathek, the unusual symphonic poem by Luís de Freitas Branco, here with reduced instrumentation by Joly Braga Santos.
Roots
Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra
[PortoBay Concert]
Miguel Amaral Uma Estranha Melodia Feita de Todos os Sonhos (absolute premiere)
Luís de Freitas Branco Vathek (version by Joly Braga Santos for chamber orchestra)
Dimitris Andrikopoulos Concerto for Portuguese Guitar (absolute premiere)
Miguel Amaral Portuguese guitar
Pedro Neves conductor
