New album with the National Institute of Music of Afghanistan (ANIMP), Ensemble Darcos, Marco Oliveira and Miguel Amaral.
Inspired by the “courage of young Afghans who fled the brutal Taliban regime, it stands today as a sign of hope. Hope for a more just life and a more dignified future, hope for more love in their lives. Against the authoritarianism of violence and ideological radicalism, HOPE sings to the world that it is possible to unite and respect.”
The renowned maestro and composer Nuno Côrte-Real presents Hope, the new album featuring very special guests, such as the National Institute of Music of Afghanistan (ANIMP), singer Marco Oliveira, Ensemble Darcos and Miguel Amaral, a specialist in the Portuguese guitar.
According to Nuno Côrte-Real, Hope is inspired by “the courage of young Afghans who fled the brutal Taliban regime, and today stands as a sign of hope. Hope for a more just life and a more dignified future, hope for more love in their lives. Against the authoritarianism of violence and ideological radicalism, HOPE sings to the world that it is possible to unite and respect. We must hear the cry and act. We must be vigilant and not forget.”
The album’s repertoire includes traditional Portuguese compositions such as the emblematic “Não venha tarde”, “Vielas de Alfama”, “Trova do vento que passa”, among others, and traditional Afghan compositions.
The National Institute of Music of Afghanistan (ANIMP) has distinguished itself through continuous work in safeguarding and transmitting Afghan musical heritage, as well as promoting gender equality, a highlight of which is the Zohra orchestra, composed of 35 women. When Kabul fell on August 15, 2021, music was banned by the Taliban regime. Portugal took in 273 refugees (currently based in Braga and Guimarães), including students and teachers from ANIMP. This act of transcendent importance, which did not receive the attention it deserved from Portuguese civil society, saved not only human lives (especially those of young girls), but also a threatened musical tradition.
Composer and conductor Nuno Côrte-Real is a leading figure in the world of contemporary Portuguese music. In 2018 and 2019, he consecutively won the award for Best Classical Music Work from the Portuguese Society of Authors with the song cycle “Agora Muda Tudo” and the opera “Canção do Bandido,” respectively. As a conductor, Nuno Côrte-Real has led the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, the Granada City Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia, the Extremadura Orchestra, and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, among others. He is the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Darcos, one of the most prestigious Portuguese chamber groups today, dedicated to performing his music and the great European repertoire, and he is the artistic director of the Darcos Season.
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