FANFARE MAGAZINE
FEATURE ARTICLE: "GIVING A SOUL TO THINGS LOST: AN INTERVIEW WITH LUCÍA CARUSO AND PEDRO H. DA SILVA OF THE MANHATTAN CAMERATA
By Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold
“It is like giving a soul to things that have been lost,” declares Lucía Caruso, artistic director and co-founder with her husband Pedro H. da Silva of the chamber ensemble Manhattan Camerata. She is speaking of one of their most recent projects: composing and recording original scores for two early 1900s silent films by pioneering French filmmaker Goerges Méliès.”
“Caruso and da Silva have created a score which conveys both the martial and spiritual themes of the piece, and they have skillfully managed the transitions—which are rather abrupt in the film—from scene to scene, smoothing these over and creating a seamless whole.”
“The Manhattan Camerata plays with finesse and passion; the Voices of the Ascension navigate the complex textures and harmonies of the score effortlessly, and the sound engineering cleverly creates a far larger soundscape than the realities of the numbers. Overall, this is a masterful creative effort and one which some recording firm should decide to issue on DVD, both for its innovative film values and its masterful music.”
“…da Silva and Caruso…have used a chamber ensemble and chorus that brings us grippingly into Joan’s life, and at the same time wrote a through-line for their score that perfectly suits the subject matter.”
“The resulting score is a gem, fulfilling the classic tradition of Hollywood scoring in its emotional excitement and uplift while also incorporating the dignity of a classical music background.”
“Jeanne d’Arc has no title cards or scene transitions, and da Silva and Caruso appropriately change color and mood quickly while using motifs to provide continuity. Altogether, their ingenuity and musical talents have added a new dimension to Méliès’s art, coming as close to restoring the wonder of early cinema as we are likely to get.”
THE WHOLE NOTE
"Tango and fado may differ rhythmically yet their shared lyrical and melodic styles thrive when combined. […] Other successful reworkings include compositions by Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel among others. But the original compositions are the highlights."
"... music that soars in astonishing lyrical emotion and rhythmic drive."
"The brilliant virtuosic playing by all the performers is inspiring and captured clearly in the production."
"Nathalie Pires sings da Silva and Caruso’s Amor é Fogo with both understated remorse and a dramatic powerhouse ending."
REVIEW: TANGO FADO PROJECT
By Tiina Kiik
LOS ANDES
FRONT PAGE ARTICLE: PIANO Y MÚSICA PARA WILLIAM (SPANISH)
By Daniel Arias Fuenzalida
"...mañana se realizará una misa que honrará a Shakespeare en la propia iglesia donde fue bautizado y donde descansan sus restos: la Holy Trinity Church. Frente a una importante audiencia, que incluirá a la familia real británica...las manos de la mendocina Lucía Caruso harán respirar los tubos del órgano del recinto; la acompañarán su esposo con su guitarra portuguesa y la Orchestra of the Swan, junto al coro de la iglesia, dirigidos por David Curtis. Así estrenará su “Titania’s Lullaby”.
Translation:
"... a mass will be held tomorrow that will honor Shakespeare in the very church where he was baptized and where his remains rest: Holy Trinity Church. Facing a major audience, which will include the British royal family ... the hands of The mendocina Lucia Caruso will breathe the tubes of the organ of the enclosure, will be accompanied by her husband with his Portuguese guitar and the Orchestra of the Swan, next to the choir of the church, directed by David Curtis, thus premiering his "Titania's Lullaby".
Stratford-upon-avon Herald Newspaper review: New York Comes to Stratford
By Preston Witts
"Stunning explosion of pianistic fireworks"
"It was called New York Comes to Stratford. It could equally have been called A Celebration of Musical Styles from Across the World. For this was a concert by the Orchestra of the Swan and its guest soloists that paid magnificent homage to a multiplicity of cultural roots -- not least through the means of a world premiere composer performance."
"The audience at Stratford ArtHouse... was treated to a double delight of a husband-and-wife musical phenomenon (he Portuguese and she Argentinian) of astonishing range and creative talent. The husband, Pedro H da Silva, performed his own Portuguese Guitar Concerto and the wife, Lucia Caruso was the soloist in her own composition Clouds, a work for piano and orchestra."
"...The two joined forces, by way of an encore, for a stunningly virtuosic rendering of a work that use Paganini's famous Caprices for Solo Violin as its core material and ended with an explosion of pianistic fireworks."
"... Mr. and Mrs. da Silva produced a fascinating criss-crossing of musical cultures in this concert with New York as the common denominator."
"...As for Mr da Silva and his wife, Lucia Caruso, one is almost stumped for words. They are both composer-performers of the highest grade and are extremely busy, not just as individuals but as partners in a variety of projects in New York and elsewhere."
"...The Orchestra of the Swan must be immensely proud to have been the vehicle for the [Portuguese Guitar Concerto] world premiere in Stratford last week."