WNMD 2025 · CONCERT 21
State of Emergency / Estado de emergência
05-06-2025 · 21h30
São Luiz Teatro Municipal, Sala Luís Miguel Cintra
Lisbon
Bilheteira · Box Office (São Luiz)
GET-TOGETHER 5
Meeting with the Composers
21h00–21h30
Participants: [names to be announced]
ENSEMBLE MPMP
Rita Castro Blanco - conductor
ÂNGELA DA PONTE (Portugal, 1984)
State of(f) Emergencies (2019), 10’
ANNA ÞORVALDSDÓTTIR (Iceland, 1977)
Aequilibria (2014), 14’ NP
SAM HAYDEN (UK, 1968)
Die Abkehr (Turning Away) (2017), 11’
ISCM British section
SHIN KIM (South Korea, 1994) YCA
Kaleidoscope (2023), 10’
ISCM South Korean section
VILLE ASLAK RAASAKKA (Finland, 1977)
The Harvest (2022), 10’
ISCM Finnish section
YCA · ISCM Young Composers Award candidate
NP · National premiere
PROGRAMME NOTES
ÂNGELA DA PONTE (Portugal, 1984)
State of(f) Emergencies (2019), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violins, viola, violoncello, contrabass, electronics and percussion
— “‘It [utopia] is on the horizon’ said Fernando Birri. ‘I take two steps forward, and it moves two steps away. I take ten steps, and the horizon moves ten steps further. No matter how much I walk, I will never reach it. What is the purpose of utopia? It is precisely that: to keep walking.’” Eduardo Galeano, in Las palabras andantes? (1993).
State of(f) Emergencies embodies two opposing concepts. The first is an evocation of the present and a response to a life lived in a constant state of emergency, permeating various aspects of existence. Crises – climate, economy, relationships, rights, vulnerabilities – all hanging by a thread. These elements may be musically suggested through different instrumental layers, creating a complex contrapuntal texture with aggressive sonorities enriched by noise intertwined with an unpredictable and discontinuous electronic universe. The second is the right to dream, to indulge in reverie, free from states of emergency (off!), in search of stability and serenity. Musically, this may be conveyed through the exploration of lighter, more contained sounds, such as the airy tones of wind instruments or col legno in the strings, inviting the listener into a more introspective state.
SAM HAYDEN (UK, 1968)
Die Abkehr (Turning Away) (2017), for flute, oboe, contrabass clarinet, trumpet, bass trombone, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, and double bass
ISCM British section
— Die Abkehr (2017) is part of a cycle of pieces that combine ideas from ‘spectral’ traditions with algorithmic approaches to composition, where aspects of the pitch and rhythmical materials are computer-generated using IRCAM’s OpenMusic. The work is constructed around fluid harmonic cycles based on transitions between 24TET microtonal pitch fields and harmonic spectra with extensive use of woodwind multiphonics and overtone harmonics. The piano has an important structural role, providing the harmonic basis from which other linear materials emerge in the surrounding ensemble. The percussion emphasizes the underlying metrical structures and complex rhythmical subdivisions. The sonic surfaces are in a constant state of flux, moving between dense linear polyphonies and clearer sustained timbres, a dialectic between individual line and collective totality which never quite resolves. The piece is in three movements, although it runs continuously. The title hints at a critique of the increasingly nostalgic and inward-looking culture of the UK.
SHIN KIM (South Korea, 1994) YCA
Kaleidoscope (2023), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, piano, percussion, violin I, violin II, viola, cello and contrabass
ISCM South Korean section
— I composed this piece with a deep consideration of continuous changes of various sound colors and the mixing process of diverse musical materials. The title of the piece also implies the colorful and flamboyant characteristics of the piece. As this music contains a lot of various musical cells and their possibilities from the beginning, I tried to concentrate on controlling all the materials and gestures. Virtuosity is one of the important aspects that I treated in this piece. I wanted almost every virtuosic movement to have certain directions and clear shapes both in microscopic and macroscopic view.
VILLE ASLAK RAASAKKA (Finland, 1977)
The Harvest (2022), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, percussion, piano, violin I, violin II, viola, cello and contrabass
ISCM Finnish section
— The harvest, as a word, stirs up images of autumnal peace and bountifulness. This work is, however, about the current forest machines that harvest the trees in frightening effectivity within seconds. I have used the sounds of these current machines and transcribed them to the instruments. The moaning glissandi of the hydraulics, the rhythmic buzzing of the saws, the beeping of the control panels and the crackling and snapping of the trees are the key sound elements of the work. The horrific, machine-like sounds turn into music which struggles to free itself from the sound sources. The music becomes filtered and sinks into a sorrowful state of disbelief. This devastated music is mourning the total loss of natural biodiversity and the constant series of extinctions. The easy profits of forestry (the so-called ”forest management”) have led to a situation where over 100-year-old forests will soon no longer exist in Finland (under 5% at the moment), and the rest are, strictly speaking, not forests at all. We have tree farms, pretending an image of a real forest.