The voice was undoubtedly humanity's first musical instrument, and until the Baroque period, it remained the ultimate form of musical expression
The concert proposed by the Orquestra Académica da Universidade de Coimbra [Academic Orchestra of the University of Coimbra] (OAUC) for the opening of the UC Cultural Week - with the theme ‘Voice' - Voz, includes works with explicit vocal elements, featuring soloists and a choir. It also includes pieces that represent 'voice' metaphorically or symbolically. The performance will take place on Friday, 1 March, UC Day, 21:30 at the Gil Vicente Academic Theatre (TAGV).
'Letter from Home' by Aaron Copland takes us back to the most primitive way of transmitting 'voice', not as sound but as a form of communication and expression. The songs 'Acordando' and 'Canção da Vindima' by Joly Braga Santos bring us the voice as a solo musical instrument. The lyrics of these songs also represent the voice of their authors: the voice of the poet Antero de Quental (a former student of the University of Coimbra) and the voice of the anonymous people who express their experiences through songs. 'Cena Lírica' by Luís de Freitas Branco is a concertante composition for cello and orchestra that brings a characteristic of vocal expression to musical expression: lyricism.
In orchestras, some composers use the human voice to complement the musical instruments. In 'Of Our New Day Begun', African-American composer Omar-Thomas uses the spoken and sung voices of the orchestra's musicians to pay tribute to the nine victims of the racist attack at the entrance to Mother Emanuel Methodist Church in Charleston on 17 June 2015.
As 2024 marks the centenary of the birth of composer Joly Braga Santos (1924-1988), OAUC has invited the choral voices of our Academy, Orfeon Académico de Coimbra, and Coro Misto da Universidade de Coimbra to perform together for the first time a choral-symphonic work by the composer entitled 'Ocidente,' with words from Fernando Pessoa's 'Mensagem.'
Since the inception of the Orquestra Académica in 2016, and in close partnership with Tuna Académica and the University of Coimbra, OAUC has brought together UC students, alumni, and faculty, fostering a shared passion for classical music. It has promoted cultural development and the image of the University itself by organising various concerts throughout the academic year.
Tickets for the concert can be purchased at the TAGV box office and via BOL.
Check the full programme of the University of Coimbra Cultural Week 2024 at www.uc.pt/semanacultural (in Portuguese)