portrait RE (2025)
for sampler and large ensemble (10 musicians)Instrumentation: Flute in C/Bass Fl., Bass Cl., Bassoon, Keyboard (solo sampler), Harp, Percussion (1 player), Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass (w/ C extension).
Duration: 17 minutes
Premiere Performance: Ensemble Dal Niente, Nichols Concert Hall, Evanston, IL. May 2025.
Available on New Focus Recordings
https://dalniente.bandcamp.com/album/portrait-re-flux-pacific-time
portrait RE is a work for sampler and ensemble, in which found sounds are in continuous dialogue with live instrumentalists. This work is a sequel to portrait IO, composed in 2020, and continues the concept of a sonic self-portrait. The piece draws on recordings from daily life, physical surroundings, cultural background, and sounds that trigger strong memories. The title “RE” suggests repetition, return, and renewal. In many ways, this piece attempts toconstruct a kind of cinema based on free association. A recurring theme throughout the piece is the impossibility of escapism: efforts to settle into natural or ambient soundscapes are constantly interrupted, only to be gradually acknowledged and absorbed into the fabric of the piece. The work also engages with a line from Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, who is sampled, quoted, and deconstructed throughout:
“Os oprimidos devem ser o seu próprio exemplo, na luta pela sua redenção.”
(“The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption.”)
This idea resonates with the piece’s treatment of escapism, suggesting that liberation—whether personal or political—canno
portrait RE is dedicated to my dear friends at Ensemble Dal Niente, and was made possible by a commission from the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress.
—Igor Santos
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“Os oprimidos devem ser o seu próprio exemplo, na luta pela sua redenção.”
(“The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption.”)
This idea resonates with the piece’s treatment of escapism, suggesting that liberation—whether personal or political—canno
portrait RE is dedicated to my dear friends at Ensemble Dal Niente, and was made possible by a commission from the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress.
—Igor Santos
