The chronicles of art, politics, and the wider (and by now rather ludicrous) concept of social evolution have consistently revealed clashes between fathers and sons yielding destructive consequences. As a matter of fact, countless lives have been permanently affected by the strain of growing conflict, fostering a profound resentment frequently leading to serious attrition.
In our context, therefore, it is wonderful to observe the opposite development of the improvisational duo comprising Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and Guilherme Rodrigues on cello who, over the years, have achieved an extraordinary degree of acoustic cohesion and intuitive synchrony. Guilherme's early demonstration of a creative aptitude was definitely a contributing factor in Ernesto's decision to pursue this sonic partnership. The common artistic intent is exemplified by Intenso Como O Mar, a live recording from 2023 that symbolizes the transformation of the adult/adolescent pair into a unified full-grown entity, while maintaining the same objective: to articulate the ephemeral through the interaction of instruments crafted from wood and strings, typically (though not exclusively) played with a bow.
Aside from the stereotypical notion of "genre", the essential indicators of a musician seeking expressive authenticity consist of distinctive, constantly evolving forms. Surprise and consciousness, worry and thought, immediate consideration and total calmness of the mental picture can all exist simultaneously in the narrative span of a spontaneous action. Amidst the remnants of what used to be called "reductionism", the two Rodrigues navigate every fissure that permits a beneficial glimmer of light to illuminate, even if slightly, the tiniest pathways.
Inside this soundscape, hundreds of contrapuntal refractions allude to hypothetical harmonies and tuning systems that could never belong to a realm of predictability. It's the result of a virtually telepathic interplay, in which the ability of one to understand in advance what the other will do, and respond accordingly, can be clearly distinguished. Stunning, nonetheless, is the affinity of some of these exchanges with modern classical dialogues, as if Ernesto and Guilherme were focused on an imaginary score. Probably they are; it is the one in which their parallel existence is notated, entirely devoted to unpolluted sound and its most intimate ripples, the latter often explicated via refined extended techniques. Two symbiotic souls, a music deeply touching for its absolute lack of ambiguity within a severe, honest inner quest.
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