Pares / Pairs, a joint CD with friend and collaborator, Rio-based Sergio Roberto de Oliveira, is in the mastering process and will be released this spring. Pares is all duos—piano four hands, cello duo, and cello and piano—played with understanding and flair by Rio de Janeiro-based artists Patrícia Bretas and Josiane Kevorkian, pianists (Bretas-Kevorkian Duo), and Paulo and Ricardo Santoro, cellists (Duo Santoro). The pieces were performed last spring in Rio.
Both Sergio and I have contributed a piano duo, a work for cello and piano, and a work for two cellos. Mine are Catálise (catalysis) for piano four hands, Metamorfoze for cello and piano, and Estados de Espírito (states of mind) for two cellos. Sergio’s are Baobá (baobab), Pares (pairs), and Ao Mar (to the sea). This is our second joint recording project. In 2012 we released Luminosidade, which features music for trumpet and percussion.
Pares was recorded and mixed in Sergio’s commercial studio (A Casa Estudio), and we worked on the sound this past November, when I was in Rio with the baroque/modern chamber ensemble Mélomanie, which gave the Brazilian premier of my Trois Rivières as part of a concert of new music in Rio’s annual festival of new music “Compositores de Hoje” (composers of today).
Sergio and I are already discussing our next project, which may involve orchestral music. We have a great time together, and we both benefit. While our music is very different—complementary, we hope—we have influenced each other significantly. You can hear Brazil in the music I write with Brazilians in mind. Quite a departure for me, though it’s quickly becoming normal.