For Côrte-Real: “The traditional music of Portugal is amongst the most beautiful and varied of any in the world… This diversity and musical richness had a marked influence on my development as a composer, going back to 1996 when I began to work regularly on collections of arrangements that I called Novíssimo Cancioneiro, the first two books of which are presented here on this album.”
Maria Rita Ortigão Pinto Cortez explains Nuno Côrte-Real’s sensitive treatment of her research, and the overwhelming local response to their collaboration: “He considers the melodies to be so beautiful that they should not be altered, as they deserve to be preserved in their natural state. I will never forget the beauty of the concert that was held in the Praça da República in Serpa at the beginning of the summer of 2018, with performances by Ensemble Darcos and the Coro Ricercare. The square was completely full of the people of the Alentejo applauding enthusiastically the music which many of them knew how to sing, now performed
