About
Young Musicians Award 2024 - scores
"Perhaps tears are nothing more than that, the relief of an offence."
- José Saramago, in Memorial do Convento
Assuming a traditional and decontextualized language of the so-called "new music", this piece was written from the ominous and funereal quality I tend to associate with the bassoon's intimate timbre. The José Saramago quote above should serve as a motto for its interpretation. This piece was commissioned by Antena 2/RTP for the Young Musicians Award (medium level).
biography:
Coming from a family of fado singers, João Miguel Santos, influenced by his uncle, began his musical studies at the age of 10, at the D. Dinis Conservatory of Music. While he maintained an interest in creation during his teenage years, it was thanks to his teacher Lino Guerreiro that his enthusiasm turned away from an interpretative path and focussed on Composition. João currently has a degree in Composition from Lisbon's College of Music, having studied with João Madureira, Carlos Caires and Luís Tinoco. As a composer, he seeks a healthy dialogue between the past, the present and the future.