“Ab OVO” reviewed by Neural

Ab OVO
Miguel Carvalhais & Pedro Tudela began work on this new project edited by Crónica Electronica in May 2012, finishing in July 2013. The composition originates from work by @c for the soundtrack to OVO, a pièce of puppet drama by Oporto, developed between the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. Starting from an original idea by Eric de Sarria, OVO is the result of a synergic process: after several rehearsals that involved all the performers (actors, puppet masters, musicians and other creators), the show made its debut on 10th February 2012, at the São Bento da Vitória Monastery. 19 compositions were produced, forming the larger part of the soundtrack for the play. These were eventually morphed into six new tracks, which faithfully retain the feeling of the previous works while enlarging the creative process through re-reading, reinterpretation and re-discovering the same “masks” and atmospheres. The sequences performed by the duo are powerfully expressive and the landscapes shine with a great intensity and formal coherence. The new tracks also provide another opportunity to discuss the creative process and its underpinnings. The use of the Latin phrase Ab OVO – which literally means “from the egg” – is no accident: another good reason to keep attention focused on the contemporaneity of similar musical approaches. Aurelio Cianciotta

via Neural