5 Poemas de Fernando Pessoa, is a lied album with the amazing Brazilian soprano Maria Gerk and the brilliant pianist Gustavo Ballesteros, released in June 2022.
Classical music lovers are used to listening famous opera arias and lieds from 19th century. The famous ones are mostly in Italian, German and/or maybe Russian however contemporary musicians are not less impressive when it comes to compose and interprets their unique culture and sound. The album 5 Poemas de Fernando Pessoa definitely deserves the attention of anyone who loves to listen classical and contemporary music; specifically arias and lieds and poetry admirers, as well as Portuguese audience.
The poet “Fernando Pessoa (1888 – 1935) was a prolific Portuguese writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language. He also wrote in and translated from English and French.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Pessoa
Brazilian composer Rodrigo Camargo
whom released his first work, describe this album in his own words as “This work reflects my affection and fascination for Pessoa`s poetry, and turning his verses into music was an incredible experience. I am pleased to share this recent work I kindly invite you to listen to this dear work. I promise you won`t regret it.”
Soprano Maria Gerk has the voice of the angles, simply put. Even though it sounds like a cliché, everyone must listen to her and make their own decision. I don`t remember recently who had impressed me more with the lyricism, precision and the power of a voice as hers.
She began her music studies at the Agnes Moço School of Music. She is a student at the MAMOVOPS studio and holds a Bachelor's degree in Singing from UFRJ. During her graduation, she participated in the operas Viva la Mamma (G. Donizetti), in the role of the prima donna Corilla, and O Menino Maluquinho (Calimério Soares). In 2018 she made her debut at Sala Cecília Meireles as soloist in the cantata Coração Concreto, by Ronaldo Miranda, conducted by Norton Morozowicz. In opera, her professional debut was in 2019 at TMRJ, in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, as Olympia, conducted by Priscila Bonfim. For TMRJ's "Grandes Vozes" project, she sang in masterclasses with Lisette Oropesa (2019) and Sondra Radvanovsky(2020). In 2021, he sang in a series of masterclasses of the Opera on Screen project with Raphael Sikorski. At the 19th Maria Callas Singing Competition, she received the 1st female prize and the Amazon Festival Award. In the Linus Lerner Singing Contest, she won the popular vote category.
Please also take a look at her Youtube page and also follow her on social media
Gustavo Ballesteros is the secret hero behind this music by giving the needed sensitivity to the music which is quite hard to achieve when giving voice to new compositions. This respected pianist has also another album on his own, released in 2016 which I recommend to all the Brazilian music, Jazz music and piano lovers to listen; especially “Preludio a Brasileira 8: Ebenezer”
Finally, I want to give all the poems in the album with the English translations for non-Portuguese speaking audience. As an incorrigible romantic, my favourite is “Da Mais Alta Janela”. Don`t hesitate to put your opinions into the comments. I wish you all a profound journey into this wonderful album, and thank you Alex Skinner for introducing me these great musicians and this amazing album!
I wish we can see them on European stages soon!
Dorme Enquanto Eu Velo
Dorme enquanto eu velo...
Deixa-me sonhar...
Nada em mim é risonho.
Quero-te para sonho,
Não para te amar.
A tua carne calma
É fria em meu querer.
Os meus desejos são cansaços.
Nem quero ter nos braços
Meu sonho do teu ser.
Dorme, dorme, dorme,
Vaga em teu sorrir...
Sonho-te tão atento
Que o sonho é encantamento
E eu sonho sem sentir.
Sleep while I watch...
Let me dream...
Nothing in me is laughing.
I want you for dreaming
Not to love you.
Your calm flesh
Is cold in my wanting.
My desires are tiredness.
Nor do I want to hold in my arms
My dream of your being.
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Wander in your smile...
I dream you so attentive
That the dream is enchantment
And I dream without feeling.
Interludio 1-Temo, Lidia
Temo, Lídia, o destino
Nada é certo
Em qualquer hora pode suceder-nos
O que nos tudo mude
Fora do conhecido é estranho o passo
Que próprio damos
Graves nomes guardam
As lindas do que é uso
Não somos deuses
Cegos, receemos
E a parca dada vida anteponhamos
À novidade
Abismo
I fear, Lydia, fate
Nothing is certain
At any time it can happen to us
What changes us all
Outside the known the step is strange
That we ourselves take
Grave names keep
The beauties of what is use
We are not gods
Blind, we fear
And the sparse given life let us put before
To novelty
Abyss
Lisbon Revisited 1923
Não: não quero nada
Já disse que não quero nada.
Não me venham com conclusões!
A única conclusão é morrer.
Não me tragam estéticas!
Não me falem em moral!
Tirem-me daqui a metafísica!
Não me apregoem sistemas completos, não me enfileirem conquistas
Das ciências (das ciências, Deus meu, das ciências!) —
Das ciências, das artes, da civilização moderna!
Que mal fiz eu aos deuses todos?
Se têm a verdade, guardem-na!
Sou um técnico, mas tenho técnica só dentro da técnica.
Fora disso sou doido, com todo o direito a sê-lo.
Com todo o direito a sê-lo, ouviram?
Não me macem, por amor de Deus!
Queriam-me casado, fútil, quotidiano e tributável?
Queriam-me o contrário disto, o contrário de qualquer coisa?
Se eu fosse outra pessoa, fazia-lhes, a todos, a vontade.
Assim, como sou, tenham paciência!
Vão para o diabo sem mim,
Ou deixem-me ir sozinho para o diabo!
Para que havemos de ir juntos?
Não me peguem no braço!
Não gosto que me peguem no braço. Quero ser sozinho.
Já disse que sou sozinho!
Ah, que maçada quererem que eu seja de companhia!
Ó céu azul — o mesmo da minha infância —
Eterna verdade vazia e perfeita!
Ó macio Tejo ancestral e mudo,
Pequena verdade onde o céu se reflecte!
Ó mágoa revisitada, Lisboa de outrora de hoje!
Nada me dais, nada me tirais, nada sois que eu me sinta.
Deixem-me em paz! Não tardo, que eu nunca tardo...
E enquanto tarda o Abismo e o Silêncio quero estar sozinho!
No: I don't want anything
I said I don't want anything.
Don't give me any conclusions!
The only conclusion is to die.
Don't bring me aesthetics!
Don't talk to me about morals!
Get metaphysics out of me!
Don't preach complete systems to me, don't line up conquests
Of the sciences (of the sciences, my God, of the sciences!) -
Of sciences, of arts, of modern civilization!
What harm have I done to all the gods?
If you have the truth, keep it!
I am a technician, but I have technique only within technique.
Outside of that, I'm crazy, with every right to be.
With every right to be one, you hear?
Don't bother me, for God's sake!
Did you want me married, futile, everyday, and taxable?
Did you want me to be the opposite of this, the opposite of anything?
If I were anyone else, I would please you all.
So, as I am, have patience!
Go to hell without me,
Or let me go to the devil alone!
Why should we go together?
Don't take my arm!
I don't like being held. I want to be alone.
I said I'm alone!
Ah, what a nuisance to want me to be company!
Oh, blue sky - the same one as in my childhood -
Eternal truth, empty and perfect!
Oh soft ancient and mute Tagus
O small truth where the sky is reflected!
O sorrow revisited, Lisbon of yesteryear and today!
You give me nothing, you take away nothing, you are nothing that I feel.
Leave me alone! I won't be late, I'll never be late...
And while the Abyss and the Silence are late, I want to be alone!
Interludioa 2 – Nao Queiras, Lidia
Não queiras, Lídia
Edificar no espaço
Que figuras futuro
Ou prometer-te amanhã
Cumpre-te hoje, não esperando
Tu mesma és tua vida
Não te destines
Que não és futura
Quem sabe se, entre a taça que esvazias
E ela de novo enchida
Não te a sorte interpõe
O abismo?
Don't want to, Lidia
Build in space
What future figures
Or promise you tomorrow
Fulfill today, not waiting
You yourself are your life
Don't destine yourself
You are not future
Who knows if, between the cup that you empty
And it being filled again
Fortune does not interpose
The abyss?
De Mais Alta Janela
Da mais alta janela da minha casa Com um lenço branco digo adeus Aos meus versos que partem para a Humanidade.
E não estou alegre nem triste. Esse é o destino dos versos. Escrevi-os e devo mostrá-los a todos Porque não posso fazer o contrário Como a flor não pode esconder a cor, Nem o rio esconder que corre, Nem a árvore esconder que dá fruto.
Ei-los que vão já longe como que na diligência E eu sem querer sinto pena Como uma dor no corpo.
Quem sabe quem os terá? Quem sabe a que mãos irão?
Flor, colheu-me o meu destino para os olhos. Árvore, arrancaram-me os frutos para as bocas. Rio, o destino da minha água era não ficar em mim.
Submeto-me e sinto-me quase alegre, Quase alegre como quem se cansa de estar triste.
Ide, ide de mim! Passa a árvore e fica dispersa pela Natureza. Murcha a flor e o seu pó dura sempre. Corre o rio e entra no mar e a sua água é sempre a que foi sua.
Passo e fico, como o Universo.
With a white handkerchief I say goodbye
To my departing verses to Humanity.
And I am neither happy nor sad.
That is the destiny of verses.
I wrote them and I must show them to everyone
For I cannot do otherwise
As the flower cannot hide its color
Nor the river hide that it flows,
Nor can a tree hide that it bears fruit.
Here they already go far away as if in the stage
And I unwittingly feel sorry
Like a pain in the body.
Who knows who will have them?
Who knows to what hands they will go?
Flower, my destiny was plucked for my eyes.
Tree, plucked my fruit for my mouths.
River, my water's destiny was not to stay in me.
I submit and feel almost joyful,
Almost as happy as someone who's tired of being sad.
Go, go from me!
The tree passes and is scattered through Nature.
The flower withers and its dust lasts forever.
The river flows and enters the sea, and its water is always the one that was yours.
I pass and remain, like the Universe.
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