em portuguêsby Ricardo Matosinhos
Wow, September flew by! I want to thank everyone who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign which far exceeded its initial goal.
I was born in Portugal, and my musical activities are divided between teaching, performing, and composing. The so-called "triangle of musical wholeness," as described by Douglas Hill, is also enriched by research. As a result, many of my compositions are inspired by pedagogical concepts. I am also the author of several articles and books, including a children's book that I adapted as a musical. Creativity is always present, and ultimately, my work is supported by a multifaceted approach.
This CD includes six pieces which I composed. Performing my own music is always special. As a student, I began composing as soon as I started playing the horn, but only for other instruments (and mainly the piano). It took me ten years to have the courage to compose a piece specifically for the horn (my 12 jazzy etudes), and since then, it has been a fantastic journey. There are three solo pieces (Pastoral, Mirage, and Improviso), which are consecutive opus numbers but which exhibit different characters, as they were written for different players. Then, there are two works for Wagner tuba and piano: Siegfried and Fafnir, heroic in nature; and finally, Song Without Words presents this instrument of the gods of Valhalla with a jazz vibe. This last piece was premiered by Robert Palmer at IHS 51 in Ghent, and those who attended IHS 54 might remember hearing me perform it on a horn. Additionally, there is a piece for horn and piano, Song for Emma, written for Australian horn player and composer Emma Gregan, as a token of appreciation for her acceptance to write the piece Rose-Colored Glasses.
To celebrate the release of this CD for horn (including Wagner tuba) and piano, I have decided to organize a small online contest for subscribers of Horn and More, the newsletter of the International Horn Society. I already gave away two CDs for the September edition to Veronika Redfern and Wendy Anne Bartel. If you missed it, don’t worry! I will offer two more CDs to the first two people who correctly answer the questions in the October and November editions. If you were one of the September winners, you can participate again, but if you place in the top two, the CD will go to the next person on the list.
