Raia e Cardo-Roxo – Loendro (Projecto Cardo, 2022)
Loendro is an album inspired by the poetic and musical geography of Alandroal, an area in eastern Portugal, near the Spanish border. It is a collaboration between Raia and Cardo Roxo. Raia is led by António [Tó-Zé] Bexiga, who investigates the sounds of the viola campaniça, blending traditional and experimental approaches, including vocal and spoken word explorations and collaborating with other art forms. It is an exquisite set of musical pieces where folk traditions elegantly meet chamber music.
António [Tó-Zé] Bexiga, with a background in piano, classical and jazz guitar, has explored various music genres from rock to improvised, fusion, and experimental music. He later delved into traditional music, focusing on the viola campaniça and integrating it into different musical contexts.
Bexiga has worked on various projects in cinema, theater, dance, and puppet theater, including Uxu Kalhus and No Mazurka Band, and has collaborated with other musicians such as Kepa Junkera (Spain), Celina da Piedade (Portugal), and António Caixeiro (Portugal). He is a founding member of Cia Boa Companhia, a theater group where he acts as a musician and/or actor. Recently, he joined Lusitanian Ghosts and founded the solo project Raia, which involves cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Cardo Roxo, formed in 2012, is an ensemble directed by Antony Fernandes and Carmina Repas Gonçalves, whose lineup depends on the character of each program. It is dedicated to the discovery, exploration and dissemination of the repertoire of Portuguese oral tradition and has as its starting point the musical sources that survive to this day in audio, video, score or living tradition. Keeping the identity characteristics of these musical collections, and through the mixture of old and traditional instruments (namely violas da gamba, bagpipes, lute, percussion, etc.), vocal exploration, and aesthetic fusion (traditional/old/contemporary music) , create a sound of great originality and surprising harmony.
The Cardo Roxo ensemble have already released five albums, each on a different theme: “Alvorada” (2015), “Vai-te Cuca” (2016), “Volto Já” (2017), “No Monte das Oliveiras” (2019) “ Bravio” (2022) and “Loendro” (2022) with Raia.
Carmina Repas Gonçalves studied music (violin, piano, singing, and viola da gamba) and dance (classical and contemporary) throughout her childhood and youth, therefore having a relationship with the performing arts practically inseparable from her existence. She graduated in Theater (Production Branch) at the Superior School of Theater and Cinema (IPL) and in Early Music at the School of Music and Performing Arts (IPP). She studied traditional Swedish music for 1 year at Sjövik Folkhögschoola (Avesta-Sweden) and did Erasmus at KMH-Kungliga Musikhögskolan (Stockholm-Sweden). Likewise, she is currently professor of viola da gamba at the Coimbra Conservatory of Music.
Antony Fernandes studied theater at Academia Contemporânea do Espectilha. In 2009, he was invited by Lérias, Associação Cultural, Miranda do Douro to develop a community theater company where he created several shows always including the local population in their creation. As a musician, he learned to play the bagpipes in 2006 and studied traditional music at Sjöviks Folkhögskola school, Sweden. He taught bagpipes in Miranda do Douro and Cabeceiras de Basto. He is currently a professor of gaita de fole at the Escola de Música Tradicional da Ponte Velha.
Carmina and Antony are both founders, teachers, artistic directors and performers in Projecto Cardo and in all its branches: the ensemble Cardo-Roxo, Cardo-Amarelo – Escola de Música Tradicional and Búzios in Terra Seca.
Loendro is a voyage that traverses the poetic and musical geography of Alandroal. It is a mirror in which one side reflects the sound waves of the other, even if they inhabit different spaces and times. Loendro is matrix and portal to a place-time where sorrows are purged and dreams, memories and mangas are danced.
Raia – António Bexiga on Viola campaniça and vocals
Cardo Roxo – Antony Fernandes on bagpipes, percussion, and vocals; Carmina Repas Gonçalves on viola da gamba, percussion, and vocals.
Buy Loendro.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
hermoso!