Os Músicos do Tejo

The programme From Baroque to Fado has shown itself to be a project full of emotions and musical ideas that continue to arouse the interest of both programmers and audiences alike. Such a situation is not unconnected with the enormous career developments, in quite different musical areas, of two highly appreciated Portuguese voices: Ana Quintans and Ricardo Ribeiro. By bringing these two singers together as part of a research project linked to Portuguese musical culture in new and original terms, Músicos do Tejo have created a musical encounter that is full of invocations and has afforded them a high level of international recognition, thanks to the existence of the CD recording (with considerable sales in the present-day climate, marked most notably by the fact that it was number one in the classical music sales charts at the Fnac Chiado shop over a period of several months).

In fact, this project, which began in Finland, may convey different images of our musical culture, besides coherently questioning some conceptual divisions that do not allow for the full enjoyment of our musical tradition, both in terms of our intangible heritage and our written and erudite music. One of the bases for the success of this project has been the way in which it showcases the talent of soloists by challenging them to step out of their comfort zone. And it has also provided a stage for highly talented instrumentalists, such as Miguel Amaral (Portuguese guitar), Jarrod Cagwin (percussion) and Marco Oliveira (vocals and fado guitar). Both Ricardo Ribeiro and these musicians, closely linked to traditional and/or improvised music, have played a highly important role in our recent learning as musicians, while also exerting a powerful influence over our ensemble. Erudite music must not forget its ancestral roots and remember that these are not noted down, being “intangible” in a certain sense. This “geological layer” must always be present even in the interpretation of music with a more detailed notation.

The planning of this recording gave rise to various types of connections and coherences between the different tracks, which are not solely those of a chronological, geographical and contextual nature. As far as the main axes of this journey are concerned, it has provided the chance to see/listen to a nomadic form of Iberian-Arab modal music, a Portuguese soul mutating to the sound of the Portuguese guitar, and, finally, an operatic-Neapolitan-fado-like voice with Brazilian ingredients.

By way of curiosity, this will possibly be the only recording by Naxos that (in just one CD) lasts for longer than 80 minutes. Naxos made an exception in this case due to the beauty of the popular song performed as an encore by Marco Oliveira. – Os Músicos do Tejo