- So why is it then, that the songs play such a prominent role in my production? Quite simply the fact that I, like other mortals, once in mye life was highly gifted. And that gift was Love. I loved a young girl with a beautiful voice and just as beautiful a delivery. This girl became my wife and life partner to this very day. I venture to say that for me she is still the only true interpreter of my songs! My songs came about as of necessity and were all made for her... (From Griegs diary)
The duet formed by the flutist Luis Meireles and the pianist Maria José Souza Guedes has been in permanent musical activity since its debut in 1996.
In 2009 they gave concerts in some well-known European Summer Festivals, such as Nancyphonies (France), Ohrid (Macedonia), Novi Sad (Sérbia) Ljubljana (Slovenia, Alguero (Sardinia) and San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy), side by side with great musicians such as: Berlin Philharmonic Quintet, Bolshoi Theatre Opera, London Symphony, Paul Badura Skoda, Boris Berezovsky, Midori and the Swingle Singers, among others.
Last February they gave the national première of Fernando C. Lapa’s double concerto for flaute, piano and string orchestra, with the Oporto National Orchestra under the conducting of Andrew Grams, at Constantino Nery Theatre (Matosinhos).
Their latest CD “Late Romantic” containing works by Widor, Pierné and R. Strauss was released in Decembre 2008, by Harmos Records and it got wonderful reviews in some flute magazines, such as Pan (England), Fluit (Holland) and Flauta y Musica (Spain) and also won them further international invitations for next season.
This Duet gave over 150 concerts in 20 different european countries – Portugal (including Azores and Madera), Spain (including Gran Canaria), Sweden, Poland, Roumania, France, Italy (including Sardinia and Sicily), Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Macedonia, Greece, Russia (including Siberia), Slovenia and Serbia, with great success.
Beyond “Late Romantic”, the Meireles/Souza Guedes duet recorded another 3 CDs, including masterpieces by Schubert, César Franck, Poulenc, Beethoven, Donizetti, Reinecke, Enesco, Franck Martin, Fauré and Prokofiev. This CDs won very good reviews and were broadcasted by different Radios in several countries.
They also recorded for the Portuguese National Radio Broadcast, (RDP and RTP), for the Macedonian Television (Greece), for the Bartók Radio Broadcast (Budapest), Khanty-Mansiisk Television (Siberia), Slovenian National Radio and Novi Sad National Radio.
As a Duet, they heard the musical advise of famous artists such as Sequeira Costa, Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, Aurèle Nicolet, Patrick Gallois, Istvan Matuz, Jean Ferrandis and Maxence Larrieu, among others.
Luis Meireles and Maria José Souza Guedes are both teachers at the Oporto Music Conservatoire.
Performed in KORSKIRKEN (Church of the Cross)
Korskirkeallmenningen
(150m from Tourist Information)
BERGEN CITY MAP
GRIEG'S CULINARY
SYMPHONY Before the concert, enjoy typical norwegian food at the restaurant Holberg Stuen, the menu made especially for the Grieg-audience.
