LUÍS TINOCO (b. 1969)

Search Songs | dur. 15’15”

Poems by Fernando Pessoa, signed under his heteronym Alexander Search

Performed by: Piia Komsi (sopr.) and

the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, cond. by Martin André

© Nuno Ferreira Santos

Search Songs (2007) | for soprano and orchestra Commissioned by the Estoril International Music Festival and first performed by Yeree Suh and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Cesário Costa.

Fernando Pessoa’s heteronym Alexander Search is often referred as a starting point, as a creation that prepares and anticipates a broad collection of subjects and concerns that would later characterize his poetic production signed under some of his major heteronyms such as Álvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis and Alberto Caeiro. For my work writing this score I was particularly interested in the ideas of seeking and searching, of nonconformity and dissatisfaction, of anxiety and strangeness, the fear from madness, the questioning of the mysteries of existence and of the world itself. I was also interested in a certain naivety and the occasional imperfections of a young poet (Pessoa created Alexander Search in 1899 when he was still a young man living in South Africa). Therefore, I have tried to approach Search’s poetry as if visiting the genesis of a phenomenon. It is commonly accepted that Pessoa’s genius and grandeur was reached in his later multiple voices written in Portuguese. Nonetheless this deep and unique manifestation of otherness wasn’t unprecedented by then, nor Pessoa’s poetry was immediately perfect and accomplished.

© Luís Tinoco

Search Songs (2007) pour soprano et orchestre. Commandé par le Festival International de Estoril. Création mondiale par Yeree Suh et le Royal Philharmonic Orchestra dirigé par Cesário Costa.

L'hétéronyme de Fernando Pessoa Alexander Search est souvent cité comme un point de départ, une création qui prépare et anticipe une vaste collection de thèmes et de préoccupations qui caractériseront son œuvre poétique. Cette dernière porte les signatures de ses plus importants hétéronymes comme Álvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis et Alberto Caeiro. Lorsque j’ai travaillé sur cette partition, j’ai été guidé par les idées d’essai et de recherche, de non-conformisme et de mécontentement, d’angoisse et d’étrangeté, de la crainte de la démence, de la remise en cause des mystères de l’existence et du monde lui-même. J’ai également été aussi intéressé par la nature quelque peu naïve des imperfections occasionnelles du jeune poète (Pessoa créa Alexandre Search en 1899 quand il était encore un jeune homme vivant en Afrique du Sud). Par conséquent, j’ai essayé d’aborder la poésie de Search comme si j’assistais à la naissance d’un prodige. Il est communément admis que Fernando Pessoa n’ait atteint le sommet de son génie et de sa grandeur qu’au travers de ses multiples et dernières « voix » écrites en portugais. Cependant, l’hétéronyme Alexander Search a été indéniablement un de ceux qui permit a Fernando Pessoa, dont la poésie n’était pas de prime abord parfaite et accomplie, d’atteindre cette profonde et unique manifestation d’altérité.

© Luís Tinoco

Luís Tinoco completed his First Degree in composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. He was then awarded with scholarships by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Centro Nacional de Cultura to complete a Masters degree in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, in London. Presently, he's completing a PhD Music research at the University of York, with Prof. Nicola LeFanu. He wrote and presented A Century’s Score - a 20th / 21st century music program for the Antena 2 / RTP - from 2000 to 2003 -, and he is the author of The Geography of Sound, for the same radio, since 2004. Also for the RTP he is in charge for the artistic direction of the Young Musicians' Prize, promoted by the Antena 2. Tinoco lectures composition at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and since April 2011 he is also the vice-principal of this same institution. Some of Tinoco’s chamber and / or orchestral music has been programmed by orchestras such as the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Porto National Orchestra, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Montpellier National Orchestra, Turin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, amongst other. He has also written stage works such as "Evil Machines", a music theatre project with libretto and stage direction by the former Monty Python Terry Jones; and, more recently, he composed "Paint Me", a chamber opera with libretto by Stephen Plaice and stage directed by Rui Horta. Future projects include the composition of new orchestral works commissioned by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and the Porto Symphony Orchestra Casa da Música.

Tinoco's music is published in the UK by the University of York Music Press.

For more information please visit www.tinocoluis.com | composer’s contact LB.TINOCO@GMAIL.COM

Luís Tinoco a conclu son Premier Degré en composition à l’Ecole Supérieure de Musique de Lisbonne. Lui furent alors accordées les Bourses de la Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian et du Centro Nacional de Cultura, qui lui permirent d’obtenir un Master Degree en composition à la Royal Academy of Music de Londres. Actuellement, il est en train de conclure ses recherches dans le cadre du PhD en musique à l’Université de York avec Prof. Nicola LeFanu. Sur la chaîne de radio Antena2/RTP il a écrit et présenté, de 2000 a 2003, La Partition d’un Siècle – un programme sur la musique du XXº et du XXIº siècles – et, depuis 2004, il est l’auteur de La Géographie du Son. Toujours pour RTP, il est en charge de la direction artistique du Prix Jeunes Musiciens proposé par Antena 2. Luís Tinoco enseigne la composition à l’École Supérieure de Musique de Lisbonne et à partir d’avril 2011, il est également le vice-directeur. Quelques-unes de ses pièces de musique de chambre et/ou pour orchestre ont été programmées par des orchestres renommés comme l’Orchestre Gulbenkian, l’Orchestre Symphonique Portugais, l’Orchestre National de Porto, l’Orchestre Métropolitain de Lisbonne, le Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Turin, l’Orchestre National de Montpellier, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Chicago, l’Orchestre Symphonique d’Albany NY, l’Orchestre Symphonique de l’Utah, l’Orchestre Symphonique de El Paso, entre autres. Parmi ses pièces dramatiques on compte “Evil Machines”, un projet fruit de la collaboration avec Terry Jones, ancien membre du célèbre Monty Python, qui en est le librettiste et le metteur en scène. Plus récemment, Luís Tinoco a composé “Paint Me”, un opéra de chambre dont le livret est de Stephen Plaice, et la mise en scène de Rui Horta. Ses futurs projets incluent la composition de nouvelles œuvres pour orchestre commandées par l’Orchestre Philarmonique de la Radio France et par l'Orchestre Symphonique de Porto Casa da Música.

La musique de Luís Tinoco est publiée au Royaume-Uni par l’University of York Music Press.

Pour d’autres informations, veuillez bien visiter le site www.tinocoluis.com | contact du compositeur: LB.TINOCO@GMAIL.COM

Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música Piia Komsi

International Rostrum of Composers – Wien 2011

I. TOWARDS THE END To-day I sought to write, and found I had With expectation my worn mind abused; Yet deemed I not so choked and so confused My thoughts already should be. I grow mad. Bare of ideas, lame in my o’er-used Uselessly tirèd reason, feeling bad Before the light Sun, I stand lone and sad, Friendship and kinship by mankind refused. I labour but to think. I cannot think. My thinking raves or sickens into dream As I of some deep-witchèd brew did drink That did strange horrors in my soul reveal. A storm approaches. All grows dark. I feel My reason leave me like a last sunbeam.

[1908]

II. JUSTICE There was a land, which I suppose, Where everyone had a crooked nose; And the crooked nose that everyone had In no manner did make them sad. But in that land a man was born Whose nose more straight and clean was worn; And the man of that land with a public hate Killed the man whose nose was straight.

[1907]

III. SUNSET SONG Leaning my chin on my hands, I looked far away to sea Where the dying sunset a sense commands Of half-mystical majesty. And I felt a strange sorrow, a fear, A desire like a sudden love For something that is not here And that I can never have.

[1907]

IV. THE LIP One day in half-slumbrous raving Where I saw strange fancies skip, I saw a dream, by no light’s gleam, A man with only one lip – Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, Absolutely with only one lip. I remember well that he had no face Nor a nose with a usual tip; He had nor eyes, nor cheeks, nor hair But only, only one lip – Only one, only one, only one, Only one, one, one lip. Can ye think of it without terror? No other lip did slip Into the vision, nor was it a lack: There was only, only one lip. Could you see him as I you would grow mad – That man with only one lip.

[1908]

V. EARLY FRAGMENTS (...) The blackest clouds are never packed so tight That we see not some blue, The sky is never so dark some ray of light May not break through. (...) Nought is more cold than ashes are, Yet there a fire hath been; The night around a lonely star More dark than all is seen.

[undated]