Contradanza

Contradança is a circular dance in witch men alternate with women. It is one of the most popular dances in the world and it is believed to have its origin in the English Country-dances. It was then adopted by the French who named it Contredanse. Finally the colonials made it known in the four corners of the world.

To us, Clarinetes Ad Libitum, Contradanza is the result of a long path built thoughout the years.

The unpredictability of a project by four clarinettists, with both different personalities and life experiences, leads to things like this. Let’s see: what was supposed to be a “conventional” clarinet quartet, with the appropriate repertory, soon became a group of four clarinettists, indeed, but searching for their own identity, not only in shape but also in content.

The way was to find a common starting point and that was, without a doubt, the pleasure in travelling, in getting to know different peoples and different cultures… overall, it was curiosity!

Therefore, Contradanza must be understood as a journey. A journey through different places, through different sound landscapes.
We are not purists, we could not be purists for obvious reasons, but the listener easily identifies the Brazilian Choro, the Galiza’s Foliada, the America’s Ragtime, the Klezmer music of the east European Jews and, among others, the Portuguese Fado.

This CD gathers some of the many themes that are part of our history, some more recent than others. This way we are able to leave the testimony of this identity that we have been building.

After this, the question remains: “What lies ahead?”

All we know is that the journey has just begun…