Commemorative Book dedicated to Miso Music Portugal
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Miso Ensemble and Miso Music Portugal (1985-2025), the book Sentem Sem Som Cem Sons Sempre was released last December...
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Composed in 2019, Quarteto de Marimbas nº 1 is directly related to a cycle of nine other pieces that Daniel Bernardes composed between 2016 and 2019. All of these pieces have the same formal structure, divided into three contrasting parts: the first (entitled Fragments or Ostinato) with a greater plurality of materials and more complex textures and harmonies; a second (Interlude), simpler and more lyrical in character, soloistic and improvised; and a third part (Song), in which a popular-sounding melody stands out within a pulsating rhythmic environment.
Despite this common mold, the pieces are very different: there is a considerable distance, for example, between the poetic and intimate atmosphere of Fragments, Interlude, and Song IV (2018), for soprano saxophone and vibraphone, and the harsher sounds of Ostinato, Interlude, and Song III (2017), for three trombones and tuba. And while some pieces—such as Fragmentos, Interlúdio, and Canção IX (2019), for big band—ask the performer to improvise in the central section, in others the “improvisation” is entirely written in advance by the composer.
Although not explicitly part of this cycle, the Quarteto de Marimbas nº 1 also follows this tripartite form. It is, however, a very different piece from the others. Accustomed to working with sustained harmonies, Daniel Bernardes faced the challenge of adapting his writing to a set of instruments with a drier sound, without much resonance or sustain. The solution lay, in part, in the density of the textures: although each sound is short, there are so many different events happening simultaneously that the overall sound never stops. Another solution involves exploring echoes between the various instruments according to their distribution in space, reminiscent of processes typical of electronic music.
The Quarteto de Marimbas is also illustrative of the cross-referencing typical of Daniel Bernardes' music. Trained in both classical piano (in Paris, 2004-07) and jazz piano (in Lisbon, 2008-11), he is also interested in contemporary classical music, having participated in the Gulbenkian Composition Seminars with Emmanuel Nunes and the Stockhausen-Kurse für Musik (in Germany). The influence of the classical avant-garde is evident in his adoption of the serial techniques of Boulez and Stockhausen. Bernardes organizes his series, however, in such a way as to produce sounds closer to modern jazz, which is why the serial influence may not be directly perceptible. Other references will be more audible in this piece: certain textures in the first part are reminiscent of Messiaen, while the rhythmic structure of the final part reveals affinities with African polyrhythms. This eclecticism, in which minimalism is one of several styles, is clearly evident in his Five Miniatures for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (awarded the Lopes-Graça Prize in 2009), as well as in his more recent work for film and television.
