Portugal, Spain and morocco on an original musical creation.
Janita Salomé, Eduardo Paniagua, El Arabí Serghini, Quiné Teles, Cesar Carazo e Jamal Ben Allal. Directed by Filipe Raposo, the group of invited musicians and singers, deeply knowledgeable about the musical specific traditions of each one of the countries represented, will form the musical contemporary equivalent of that cultural entity.
The project´s output will be the recording of a CD and a tour of a cinematographic concert artistically directed by Carlos Gomes.
This project aims to revisit and shed light a territorial and cultural entity - The Al Andalus - through the life and the poetry of one of its most fascinating figures, the King-Poet, Al Mutamid Ibn Abbad, King of the Taifa of Seville between 1069 and 1090.
What is special in his condition as a poet, is also to have been King, writing with great freedom about himself and about the era in which he lived, exposing his own contradictions with deep humanism and throughout all his life: between a youth full of pleasures and the duties of young prince; between the full awareness of his power and a delicate sensibility that he expounded with great nobility; between the poet who loved life and the king that had to make the war, sowing death; between the love for his roots and his own end of suffering, in exile, dispossessed, away from everything and finally accepting his fate.
What was special in is condition as a King was the fact that, as a premonition, he has traversed the territory of the three countries influenced by the culture of the territory under is rule- The Al Andalus - prior to the consolidation of this slow process of cultural integration. Portugal was his place of birth in 1940, in Beja. He was Prince in Silves before is coronation as a king in Seville; in Morroco he was exiled by the Almoravids dynasty and finally dyed in 1095 in Aghmat, 30 km south of Marrakech.
On a journey along the route of the life path of the King-Poet, we will record signs, sights and sounds of the cultural and territorial context of each one of the countries and also of the musicians, to project during the concert as part of the scenography, creating an atmosphere for the voices and instruments on stage.
Singing in the current language of each one of the three countries, the lyrics of the King Poet's poems, this project celebrates both the King’s spirit and the vitality of the values of a cultural legacy that owes its resilience to the passage of time, precisely to the diversity of people and cultures, cults and religions, traditions and customs, that have been constructed through a continuous relationship along the centuries based on cross migrations and consequents mixes.
Being Portugal, Spain and Morocco three totally different political and religious states, perfectly independent, it is particularly significant and interesting to realize how stable is this region compared to other regions of the world. We believe that the reason for this stability is the development of a tolerant character through the long-term relationship, in a same and small territory, between such diversity of people and cultural backgrounds. A great sense of humanism based not on separatism but on civilizational osmosis.
This crowdfunding action aims to cover the cost of recording the CD in Lisbon. A 12 songs album plus more three instrumental pieces to reveal to a wider audience the words of a very special man, whose voice is a whole culture, still whispering, ten centuries after his life passage, a message of deep humanism that we want to share and to spread world wide.
About the author
Our motivation towards this project is the sense of belonging to a culture. We want to contribute for the promotion and affirmation of a cultural heritage as legacy for future generations. An ancient culture based on values such as diversity, tolerance and a deep love to our land. A culture where the space between one and another is always mediated by a strong sense of familiarity.
A culture where people have in common a poetic sense of life. A culture that is still present today in the daily lives of the people of the three countries. and that seems to become ever more relevant and necessary to enhance alternative perspectives to the future in a world constantly threatened by intolerance, by cultural homogenization and war between different economies and cultures.
MUSICAL DIRECTION – FILIPE RAPOSO
Filipe Raposo is a classically trained pianist and composer, who soon became interested in jazz, improvised music and even fado, playing alone, or in trio and big band, and working as a composer, arranger and pianist with many of the leading names in Portuguese music. First Falls is his first album as a leader and reveals his wide range of influences, unified by the language of improvisation. Performed by two trios, it is a revelation for some, and the confirmation for others, of a magnificent composer in dialogue with exceptional musicians. The daily life of Filipe Raposo consists of various projects of different scales, which include activities of composing, arranging and playing piano. He collaborates with the song-writers, who had important roles in Portuguese Revolution in 1974 (José Mário Branco, Fausto, Sergio Godinho), with performers of contemporary fado (Joana Amendoeira, Carminho, Camané); also composes and plays in several jazz projects (Yuri Daniel, ToraTora BigBand, Johannes Krieger), works with authors of contemporary vocal music (Amélia Muge, Janita Salomé, Vitorino, João Afonso). Furthermore, he accompanies silent movies in Portuguese Cinemateca in Lisbon. In 2012, he was distinguished for the debut with Amália’s Fundation Price.
ARTÍSTIC DIRECTION – CARLOS GOMES
Carlos Gomes is an Architect, producer and director. Graduated as an Architect from Lisbon Technical University, 1995. Co-founder in 1996 of the Atelier M.G.C. Architects. Master of Arts in Scenography from the Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London 2003, with a scholarship granted by the Portuguese Department of Culture. He has professional experience, as scenographer, for dance and theatre; worked in several productions for the Portuguese choreographer Clara Andermat. Mainly from 2007 he has been dedicated to video installation and film. He conceived two other projects supported by DGArtes “People from the House”, an exhibition of photos and videos, a book and a film premiered in Doc Lisboa 2009, and “Atlantic Ultra Marathon”, a video installation presented in several Video Art Festivals around the world, and a film too, to launch in 2014. Recently he directed 5 movies on 5 buildings of the Portuguese architectural studio ARX, for their major exhibition commemorating 20 years of work, presented in Centro Cultural de Belem and Architecturas Film Festival in Lisbon.
PRODUCTION - AMG MUSIC
Specialized Company in music publishing, concert organization and representation of artists including: António Pinho Vargas, Miss Lu, Filipe Raposo, Janita Salomé, Sara Tavares, Tambor, Tim and Wim Mertens.
JANITA SALOMÉ was born in Alentejo in the village of Redondo.
Janita, as he will become affectionately known, is one of the youngest of five brothers, each one of them heir of a family with strong musical tradition. He and his remaining brothers formed the group of “Cantadores de Redondo”, who are dedicated to perpetuate the tradition of Alentejo song. In 1980, Janita was recruited by Zeca Afonso to accompany him on stage, turning himself to a professional musician On that time he also recorded his first album - “Melro” (Blackbird) - where he explores the Alentejo musical tradition but also Fado from Coimbra, in compositions from him and his brother Vitorino. In 1981, during a stay in France, Janita discovers the music of the Arabic Africa (Morocco, Algeria). From thereafter, the demand for the bonds that unite Alentejo folk tradition with traditional Arabic music, would guide his music. Throughout his extensive career have been collaborated in the recording of his albums musicians such as Pedro Caldeira Cabral, João Gil, Julio Pereira, Rui Júnior, Carlos Zingaro, José Peixoto and José Mário Branco. Of the numerous awards he has received for the excellence of his work, we highlight the “Blitz 94 Award” for Best Male Voice Portuguese and the “José Afonso Award” in 2000, with the album that marked his return back to the studio - " Voices of the South" - a work that is a true celebration of the Alentejo singing in all its forms.
EDUARDO PANIAGUA is an architect and an exceptional musician, one of the most important specialists in Antique Music and Music from the Al Andalus period. For bringing so much from Andalusian music to the broader public, the Academy of Spanish Music has nominated Eduardo Paniagua three times for its Best Classical Musical Artist award. In Paniagua's home studio in suburban Madrid, hundreds of musical instruments from around the Mediterranean fill two walls of floor-to-ceiling display cases. Paniagua is a multi instrumentalist and his investigations on copying antique instruments, according to old illustrations and descriptions searching for construction techniques, materials and ornamentation are fundamental for the output of live concerts and recordings. He is recording, for several years now, the all reportorial of the songs (more than four hundred!) from the Christen King, Alfonso X, The Wise. Eduardo Paniagua has an enormous international prestigious and with is group “Música Antiqua” or in collaboration with many other important musicians he plays worldwide.
CESAR CARAZO was born in Badajoz, Spain. He studied singing in the Escuela Superior de Madrid. He has performed as a soloist in many oratories to date. In 1999 he created “The Quarteto de Urueña” with Luis Delgado, dedicated to the Medieval music. He has a delicate voice with a wide range of possibilities but he plays also several instruments.
EL ARABÍ SERGHINI is a Moroccan classical musician and a singer with an ancestral voice. He has been collaborating with many other names of the Spanish - Arabic music around the world such as Eduardo Paniagua, Aouatif Bouamar, Said Belcadi and Omar Metioui. He trained at the Tangier Conservatory and sings with the Tangier Orchestra.
JAMAL BEN ALLAL is a musician much appreciated in Morocco was recently director of the Conservatory of Tangier. He is considered the best expert of violin played with the traditional technique on the left leg, performing all around the world.
QUINÉ TELES did the General Course of the Oporto Conservatory of Music.
With the band of Portuguese traditional music, “Brigada Victor Jara”, who joined between 1990 and 2007, participated in tours on Europe, North America, Brazil , Canada and Macau. Participated in dozens of discographical work of some of the most important musicians and Portuguese interpreters.
