Sounds of April

Solo Piano Recital

"This is the dawn I've been waiting for

The first full, clear day

Where we emerge from night and silence

And free we inhabit the substance of time."

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

During the period of Salazarism, the so-called "Intervention Music" or "Protest Song" blossomed in Portugal, as it did in many other countries. It was through this form of artistic expression that creators such as José Afonso, Adriano Correia de Oliveira, José Mário Branco and Lopes Graça gave voice to their discontent.

As a tribute to the artists who bravely spoke out against Salazar's oppressive regime through protest songs, Pedro Emanuel Pereira has designed a solo piano project that aims to honour all those who risked their lives through song.

The programme for this project - which has already been presented in cities such as Rome, Amsterdam, Guimarães, Penafiel, Valença, and in online format - includes works by composers who were inspired by the theme of freedom in correlation with Portuguese intervention music.

PROGRAMME

Pedro Emanuel Pereira

• Little Sounds of April, op.2 (2019)

Fernando Lapa

• Variations on José Afonso's "Coro da Primavera" - from an arrangement by José Mário Branco (2000)

Frederic Rzewski

• Sons of Insurrection - N. 5: "Grândula" (2016)

Pedro Emanuel Pereira

• Sounds of April - Improvisation on themes by José Afonso (2018)

NOTE: This concert may include historical and musicological commentary by António Victorino d'Almeida and Miguel Leite.