Traditional Music from the Azores – by Contemporary Portuguese Composers

Coro Ricercare

I-Tunes:

Nuno Côrte-Real

Vasco Pearce de Azevedo

Fernando C. Lapa

Carlos Marecos

Mário Nascimento

Sérgio Azevedo

Coro Ricercare

Direction: Paulo Lourenço

Nuno Côrte-Real

1. Chamarrita 2:00

2. Meu bem 3:51

3. Demo 2:24

Vasco Pearce de Azevedo

4. Bela Aurora 3:01

Fernando C. Lapa

5. Meu coração, fecha, fecha 4:28

6. Os Moiros 1:09

7. Dormi, menino dormi 2:09

Carlos Marecos

Três Canções Populares Açoreanas

8. Bênção do Pão 2:36

9. Folia do Espírito Santo 0:57

10. Saudade 3:12

Mário Nascimento

11. Rema para lá lanchinha 2:37

Sérgio Azevedo

5 Canções das ilhas dos Açores 

12. Ó Menino Jesus 1:23

13. Vou dizer uma cantiga 0:56

14. Chamarrita 0:44

15. Pézinho da vila 0:43

16. Charamba 1:13

Total | 33:23

Details:

The Coro Ricercare was formed in 1995 by Paulo Lourenço and Carlos Caires. In 1996, with the departure of Carlos Caires, Paulo Lourenço assumed the duties of director, inviting Pedro Teixeira to serve as his assistant until 2002. Since then the choir has been directed by Pedro Teixeira as its official Maestro.

From among the multiple pieces already performed by the choir, we should highlight several works, such as the “German Mass” in G Major by Schubert, Cantata BWV 196 by J.S. Bach, the Magnificat and Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Fauré’s Requiem and the Romancero Gitano by C. Tedesco. 

The Coro Ricercare has appeared in some of the most important festivals of Portuguese music, such as the Festival of Music of the Coast of Estoril, the Festival of Music of São Roque, the “City and the Music Festival,” and was part of the musical programming of the Cultural Center of Belém (CCB) for eight years.

In 1994, the group participated in the world-premiere of the work, 

In Paradisum, for choir, string orchestra and quartet of male voices by Eurico Carrapatoso, in the small auditorium of the CCB. In the following year they presented, also as a world-premiere, the a cappella choral work Timor et non Tremor by the same composer. In 1996, the choir participated in the recording of the 2nd CD by Rodrigo Leão and the Vox Ensemble, after appearing in a series of performances with this group. 

In March 1997, at the invitation of the Discoveries Foundation, the Coro Ricercare participated in two concerts held at the Great Auditorium of the CCB and in the Church of Lapa (Porto), where they performed the Passion According to St. John by Arvo Pärt (a Lisbon premiere), in conjunction with the Hilliard Ensemble.

Following its own policy of encouraging the dissemination of Portuguese repertoire through the commissioning of never-heard works, the Coro Ricercare has presented in concert, in a systematic fashion, traditional Portuguese music harmonized by Portuguese composers of the 20th-Century, as well as original works. The latter have, in large part, received their world-premiere performances by the Coro Ricercare (there are more than 30 works in this category). 

In June 1998 and at the invitation of the conductor Ketil Haugsang, the choir presented the first contemporary concert performance of João de Sousa Carvalho’s Te Deum (1769) and recorded the work for the label RCA/DHM together with the Portuguese and German ensemble «Arte Real».

In November 1998 the Coro Ricercare was awarded 2nd Prize in the Competition “IIº Certamen Internacional de Corales Polifónicas Ciudad de Sevilla” and in December 1999, obtained the 1st Prize in the Competition “Certamen Internacional de Villancicos” in Madrid.

In 2001, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, the Coro Ricercare also recorded, its second CD for the label PortugalSom/Strauss, with repertoire by young Portuguese composers. In the same year the choir presented the premier of “Novissimo Cancioneiro” by Nuno Corte-Real at the CCB. With this work, the choir was invited to participate at the 2003 Festival of Music at Aveiro. There, they also presented the premiere of a cycle of traditional Icelandic songs by Thorkel Atlason, in a concerto directed by Atlason (as guest conductor).

In 2005 the group has planned several new world-premieres of works by young Portuguese composers, in accordance with its own primary objectives.

Ref.: NUM 1127