Young Portuguese Orchestra

A masterpiece of our time, Coming Together by Frederic Rzewski (1938-2021) is here combined with Sam Melville's magnificent text, rescued by Rzewski from letters Sam had written in prison in Attica.
In the unwavering effervescent glow against social injustices, Rzewski uses a single melodic line, a vital pulse that flourishes through the flexibility of improvisation, in an extraordinary cross between the medieval canon and the origins of Terry Riley's minimalism. There will also be time to listen to Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, which inspires the listener to reflect on violence, propaganda, jubilation and forced celebration. This concert in the form of collective contemplation is celebrated by the incandescent energy of the Young Portuguese Orchestra, made up of young musicians aged between 14 and 28, selected through auditions throughout Portugal every year, without distinction of academic origin, promoting their specialization and training.  


Program
Frederic Rzewski Coming Together
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47


Narrator Miguel Azguime
Musical direction Pedro Carneiro
Staging Teresa Simas


Contraponto is a cycle dedicated to 20th and 21st century composition, where we invite local, national and international ensembles and composers to guide us through the music of one of the most fertile periods in terms of new ideas and forms.