Introduction

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"harpaXXI.pt"is a Salomé Pais Matos album, with 21st century Portuguese music, for solo harp. The harpist challenged a group of composers to write about the theme "Portugal", the result was a cocktail of different visions about the past, present and future of this country and its culture, it revealed the eclectic plasticity of environments, stylistics and sonorous. The chameleonic interpretation gives live to the works and the outcome is a dynamic and timeless album.

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Sponsors

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Discover the album, its works, composers, harpist, and recording

Works and composers

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“Prelúdio ao Rio”:

Composed by Vasco Abranches, premiered at the Rio Harp Festival in 2016. The title is a game on words between Rio de Janeiro and the Tagus River (Rio Tejo, in Portuguese). It is a combination of the serenity of the water flowing with more rhythmic elements.

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“O lugar suspenso”:

Awarded work, by Mariana Vieira, in 2017. It is an extraordinary harmony between electronics, its effects, and the sound of the harp. Contains the simplicity of phrasing suspension, harmonics, glissandos, among other effects conducted with fluidity. It is a real duet, where it is difficult to understand where the sound of the harp ends, and the sound of electronics begins. It is an astute exploration of the harp's sound and contemporary "voices".

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“Jogos e Danças”:

By the pianist and composer Diogo Vida, a work of a completely different character, full of contrast, includes agitated, serene moments and even a giocioso ending.

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“Prelúdio à deriva”:

Inspired by the Portuguese’s close relationship with the sea. This work, by João Antunes is about "Versos ao Mar", by Sebastião da Gama. In its abstract the music shows the sense of a ship that rocks and moves on the high seas.

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“4 Canções do Cante Alentejano”:

By the composer José Martins, it evokes the tradition of Cante Alentejano, intangible heritage of humanity (UNESCO). It shows a warm and plain landscape, the four melodies relate life in Alentejo, passing through the song of the birds, the peasants, the philharmonic bands, etc. In the end, you feel the serene heat in the late afternoon.

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“Tece-se a trama, Cante Tejo Alfama”:

By Daniel Schvetz, it is full of sceneries, a true sounding cocktail from Portugal. Inspired by folklore, such as the song of fishermen, Cante Alentejo, Fado, it combines with the modernism of Almada Negreiros and his Anti-Dantas Manifesto, a rejection of traditionalism. It is a work with tape, in which the harp empathizes with the variation of environments.

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Recording

 

Recorded at Atlântico Blue Studios and masterized at Estúdio Pé de Vento, by Fernando Nunes (Naná). To capture the real sound of the harp, Naná captured even more, the "silences" of this instrument.

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Graphic Composition

 

The graphic development of the CD was carried out by Luís Henriques, from the typography, silkscreen and editing studio, O Homem do Saco, and printed by hand. Whoever purchases this CD acquires not only Music, but a unique piece of graphic art, as there are no 2 equal covers.