On the composer Vasco Martins:

In Feb. 2005 I had the rare pleasure to meet and stay with Cape Verdian composer
Vasco Martins in the beautiful city of Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands.

We spent a great deal of time together contemplating, listening to his work and
discussing music. At the end of this time I could not help but feel Vasco is somewhat
misunderstood as a composer. The main reason for this is that the scope of his interests
and his art is extremely broad. Like Heitor Villa Lobos, and Radames Gnattalli and many
other great composers, Vasco possesses the interest, knowledge and ability to move fluidly between
various styles. While it is true that he considers his symphonic music to be his most significant accomplishments,
he is also immensely skilled in the fields of improvisation, popular Cape Verdean music, and instrumental music
for synthesizers using custom designed sounds. Sometimes all these elements crossover each other
to create a true 'creole' mixture.

Vasco is a true artist who operates with no concern whatsoever about how others will judge his work.
He creates whatever he feels, some of it being long and epic, and some short and quickly to the point..

During our time together, I was struck not only by the scope and quality but the quantity of his output.
His music is performed regularly by orchestras in Europe and South America, and more recently, Canada.
When I asked him why there were no audio samples of his work on his website, he replied 'I don't know how',
to which I replied 'no problem, I do'.

I hope you enjoy the short excerpts on this page. I felt this would be a great way I could help let the world know
the music of Vasco Martins a little better.

Sincerely,

Andrew Mah
www.andrewmah.com

He finished the basic orchestration in February 2001, and the final revision in 2005. It is a work of intense rhythmic vitality, and engaging density: a magical projection of Cape Verde Islands .

After a short introduction, it moves forward from a tiny rhythmic motiv in the double basses and from this microcosm, an entire symphony is born.

In this broad work Vasco Martins distils the sensation, landscapes and vibrant energy of this small Atlantic archipelago.

“The inspiring strength of the volcanic mountains, the people’s hope, the rhythmic energies, the ‘funáná’, the ‘tabanka’, ‘san jõm’ and the ‘Morna’, the sea and the stars, the winds with their immense strength, the cycle of the rains and the droughts, the afflicting need for emigration that is ever present in the psyche of the capeverdean islander, and their visceral connection to this desert country”

Vasco Martins

Symphony No. 3, for symphony orchestra, was written in ten days, in March 2001, when he was reading a book about the life of Buddha. ('buda' is the rendering
of his name in Spanish and Portuguese)

"I wrote the orchestration directly onto paper, while at the most diverse spots on the island of São Vicente -places of magic-in the mountains, near the ocean, below a date or almond tree from India , at the end of the afternoon, and at dawn, following the rhythm of the notes and the rhythm of these randomly chosen sites...

Destiny, chaos, (or the laws of karma, if we would prefer, or luck, which perhaps are the same thing) ordained that this Symphony was presented for the first time in the metropolis of São Paulo , Brazil , on September 30 and October 7, 2001, by the Symphonic Orchestra of Radio Cultura, directed by the Maestro Lutero Rodriques.

It is a symphony in which I try to transmit plenitude and tranquility; and my admiration and respect for this unique and great man.

Yes: by nature, we are light that is constantly obscured."

Vasco Martins

audio sample
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1 Movement

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Symphony 7 Sarva Mangalam (6 movements, 43mn)
Instrumentation: - symphony orchestra
Picc/2Fl, 2Ob,1CA 2Cl/Bcl,2Bsn/Cbsn,4Fhns,2Tpt,2Tbn/Btbn,Tuba,4perc,Harp, Vln1, Vln2,Vla,Vc,Db

The movements may be performed in different combinations and sequences.

Sarva Mangalam is a Sanskrit mantra. Words by Shakymuni himself meaning happiness to everyone and is meant to be chanted in six directions: north, south, east, west, nadir and zenith

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Movement 1'norte'
Movement 2 'este'
Movement 3 'oeste'
Movement 4 'sul'
Movement 5 'nadir'
Movement 6 'zenite'

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Danças de Câncer – (14 movements, 53mn) 56 Mn
(recorded in Paris and Grenoble-Festival 38ème Rugissants,1993/1995)
-BUY HERE-

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Movement 1
Movement 2
Movement 3

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Clarinet and Classical Orchestra
4 Notas na cidade do Mindelo, 7mn

Oboe and String Orchestra
Musique pour adoucir le Coeur - (4 parts, 12mn)

Classical guitar and String Orchestra
'Anámnesis', for classical guitar ans string orchestra (3 movements, 11mn)