This new album titled Raízes (Portuguese for ‘roots’) features four new works for string quartet respectively by Eurico Carrapatoso (b. 1962), Telmo Marques (b. 1963), Sérgio Azevedo (b. 1968) and Fernando C. Lapa (b. 1950). They were commissioned by the Matosinhos String Quartet who invited each composer to write a work inspired by melodies, dances and stories from Portuguese traditional folklore.
Raízes
Portuguese Chamber Music
AZEVEDO • CARRAPATOSO • LAPA • MARQUES
Matosinhos String QuartetRaízes (Portuguese for ‘roots’) features new works commissioned by the Matosinhos String Quartet, in which composers were invited to write works inspired by melodies, dances and stories from Portuguese traditional folklore. Returning to their heritage in North Portugal, Eurico Carrapatoso and Fernando C. Lapa both draw inspiration from Mirandese landscapes, dances and melodies. Telmo Marques’ Ilhas Afortunadas alludes to the mythologies surrounding the islands of the Azores and Madeira, and Sérgio Azevedo pays homage to Fernando Lopes-Graça and Béla Bartók’s pioneering work recording folk music in the field with his Popularuskia I.
IV. Charamba
The Matosinhos String Quartet (MSQ) has enjoyed a residency in the Portuguese city of Matosinhos since 2008. Its members comprise Vítor Vieira (violin 1), Juan Carlos Maggiorani, (violin 2), Jorge Alves (viola) and Marco Pereira (cello). In 2014 the quartet was nominated as an ECHO Rising Star, and subsequently undertook a tour of prestigious concert halls across Europe, including the Barbican Centre, Concertgebouw, Musikverein and Elbphilharmonie. The MSQ’s main focus is Portuguese string quartet repertoire. It embraces music by contemporary composers, having premiered over 40 new works.
From left to right: Vitor Vieira, Marco Pereira, Juan Carlos Maggiorani and Jorge Alves
Portuguese Music for Strings
Azevedo • Braga Santos • Fragoso
Camerata Atlântica • Manzanilla
– BBC Music Magazine
– Diapason
A Journey Through Portuguese Music
Quintans • Ribeiro • Amaral • Oliveira • Cagwin • Os Músicos do Tejo • Magalhães
– Lark Reviews
Costa • Lopes-Graça • Freitas Branco • Braga Santos
Borralhinho • Orquestra Gulbenkian • Neves
– Fanfare