Anima by Luís Figueiredo

“Anima” is a suite for string orchestra and soloists, written in 2022-2023. It’s a journey through human condition in its multiple states of mind and emotions, a sort of “treatise on the passions of heart”, borrowing from author António Lobo Antunes. It is structured in seven movements. Two of those movements were composed for string orchestra alone, whereas the remaining five also feature soloists playing a combination of written and improvised material. At first I tried to dedicate each movement to a specific state of mind or emotion or human experience, but then I felt trapped by this idea as the music would have to be rather literal, narrative, programmatic. And so I decided to try and look at the work as a whole, and evoke several experiences in each movement. That is why the movements are simply called Parts. Some of them have a sort of song-like feel, others are less motivic and therefore promote a less narrative experience - closer to a film soundtrack, I would say. Nevertheless, I’m sure the attentive listener will find recurring ideas that support the whole piece as the Parts and the various moods unfold.

The entire work is traversed by a latent yet very much central idea, which is what I would call a praise of humanity: its potential, its struggles, its excesses, its shortcomings. All is expressed by the myriad of humankind’s emotional spectrum. Music is a messenger of that spectrum, a herald of the humanity that lives within all of us and is so often restrained by contemporary life and by social and personal constraint. There is also, therefore, a message of freedom in this music: the freedom to be, to feel, to create and to be dazzled by Art and Beauty.

This work took most of my time for about two years, but I remained passionate about it throughout the whole time, because I could foresee its intensity, the sonic dimension it would assume, and the important role it would play within my own path as a musician. All I can hope now is that somehow it will resonate in the listeners’ hearts in a way that is meaningful for them as well.

I was assisted by many people in the making of this work, without whom it would never see the daylight. To all of them, my most heartfelt appreciation. Pedro Neves and everyone at Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa (so many friends!) for being so respectful of the work and always putting the music first. Diogo, Eivind, Julian and Martín, for immediately jumping on board and then making the music sound so beautifully - it is truly a privilege. João Ganho, for starting out as a thorough and caring professional, and then becoming as passionate for this work as I was. Cláudia Pereira da Silva, for the constant support and friendship. Vanessa Pires and Catarina Ribeiro at Artway, for kickstarting the production process. Filipe Carvalho and everyone at Convento de São Francisco (Coimbra) for making the piano recording possible. Paulo Pimentel, for the excellence and care he always puts in his work. Miguel Lima and Festival das Artes Quebra Jazz for providing the most wonderful venue for the premiere of this piece. All my love goes to my family, who endures all my adventures with a smile, no matter the costs.

This work would not be possible without the invaluable financial support of SPA - Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores.

Independent music label based in Portugal.

Jazz, improvised music, contemporary.

Facebook
Instagram