Partitura · March 2025

Carnival is, by excellence, a time of subverting routine, where goodwill flourishes, disguise seduces, and a festive spirit takes center stage. As always, our Symphony Orchestra marks the occasion with a concert in which the musicians themselves perform in costume, presenting works that evoke the pagan celebration that dispels gloom across the world.

This sets the tone for a month in which other conventions are also turned upside down – most notably, the longstanding machismo in music history that has hindered the recognition and prominence of great female composers, performers, and conductors. In a series of seven concerts featuring two of Casa da Música’s resident ensembles and a rising string quartet, Women in Music invites us to listen, from March 08 to 25, to the voices of remarkable female artists from both past and present. Under the season’s overarching theme, Crossed Paths, Coro Casa da Música also bridges past and present in a programme that spans from Bach to the young American composer Caroline Shaw.

A long-awaited return, year after year, is that of Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, one of the world’s greatest, who this time presents a recital featuring works by William Byrd and Johannes Brahms.

Beyond classical music, there are many highlights to note: Canadian post-rock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor arrive with their latest album, No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead; Lizz Wright, one of the most compelling jazz singer-songwriters of our time, presents Shadow, a seamless fusion of diverse currents in Black music; while Eliades Ochoa, a leading figure among Cuban soneros and founding member of Buena Vista Social Club, brings Guajiro, a heartfelt tribute to Caribbean music.

Among Portuguese artists, key performances include: Mão Morta, returning with Viva La Muerte!, a show in defense of democracy, inspired by the 50th anniversary of the April 25 Revolution; Capicua, premiering in Porto her fresh and versatile album Um Gelado Antes do Fim do Mundo, further cementing her status as the queen of Portuguese hip-hop; Francisco Sassetti, offering an evening of storytelling at the piano; Souls of Fire, celebrating 25 years of career with a suitcase full of memories to share; Moullinex & GPU Panic, uniting in the MXGPU project for an immersive concert that promises to redefine the live dance music experience; and Rodrigo Leão, revisiting his album Os Portugueses (2018) through a new lens, blending traditional and contemporary instruments to give life to original songs.

For families, as always, the Education Service presents a variety of concerts and workshops worth exploring. Meanwhile, the Open Course in Music History continues, concluding its second module, Women in Music, and launching the first sessions of its third, Tchaikovsky: A Master of Melody. Finally, it is always worth keeping an eye on the artists and bands performing at the Café, every Thursday, in free-entry concerts.

For a deeper dive into what Casa da Música has in store throughout the month, the best way is to browse through the pages of this Partitura and make your selections. Enjoy the journey!

Being a woman in the world of the arts – and beyond – has too often been difficult or even impossible. Their presence as mere muses was reductive. Their conditional acceptance in spaces labeled as “feminine” was far too little for tenacious women like Augusta Holmès, a 19th-century Parisian composer, nearly erased from history and now reclaimed in this concert series. Casa da Música celebrates women in music, whether as composers, conductors, or performers, as protagonists of artistic creation – an endeavor that does not end here and is increasingly reflected in the annual programming.

In addition to bringing together technical skills, any work team, to be strong and reliable, benefits from the sharing of human values among its members. Mutual respect is essential, but extensions of that respect – such as friendship or camaraderie – have the potential to help solidify the group spirit. And thus, naturally, space arises for jokes and symbolic gestures that, rather than diverting workers’ focus, make the machine even more well-oiled and finely tuned.

One such gesture took place within the technical team of Casa da Música, set against the backdrop of the 2010 São João Concert. The stage manager of our Symphony Orchestra, which stepped onto the esplanade’s proscenium to open the night before a packed square of excited people, was Mr. Luís Faria – the longest-serving professional in his role in the country. Admired by all, he was about thirty years older than his department colleagues and, in some way, the standard- bearer of a work ethic where responsibility and a sense of humor blended synergistically, as they still do today.