Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (2025)
Commissioned by Kansas City Sinfonietta
Fl, Ob, Cl (bass cl.), bsn, tpt, hn, tbn, 2 perc, piano, string quintet
Duration c. 11″
The piece borrows its title from the famous (and dark!) Macbeth monologue by Shakespeare. In the monologue, Macbeth has just received the news that his wife is dead. He is struck by a strong sense of dread and pessimism. For him, time becomes a cruel and meaningless force—dragging forward day after day, inevitable, meaningless and unmerciful.
Although they share a line in common, it was never my intention to create a programmatic piece based on the monologue (and I hope my piece doesn’t sound as devastating and dark!). In fact, the quotation only appeared late in the compositional process, but it ended up naming a work that, from the very beginning, seemed to move with relentless momentum, always forward, no matter what – as if time were this impetuous force that carries and washes everything in its path like an untamed current. This notion is deeply embedded in my piece, where an obstinate chromatic upward line is always pushing forward, but reaching no apparent goal. This upward line is full of sound and fury; the textures may change, but are always intense and forceful and sometimes exhaustive, but keeps always moving forward and going higher and higher. Against this, another key element struggles to emerge: the calm, placid choral that appears in the first bars (first on strings, then on woodwinds) is almost always interrupted and carried away by the impetuous upward chromatic line. It rarely finds space to develop or reach a resolution.
I see Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as a study in desperate and obstinate motion, in hurried accumulation, and in how music can move forward by (apparent) inertia—even without (apparently, again) knowing exactly where it’s going.
Concerto de Bolso, para violino e orquestra (2023)
Pocket Concerto, for violin and orchestra
piccolo, 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 2, 1, 1, timp, 2 perc, solo violin, strings
Duration c. 11″
The composition of this concerto coincided with a period of transition in my personal life. I had completed my Master’s degree in music abroad and was preparing to return to Brazil after two years away. I never sought to create a programmatic piece in which musical moments would deliberately correspond to extramusical events or emotions. However, it is undeniable that this period of transition generated emotions and expectations that, to some extent—consciously or unconsciously—influenced my musical choices while writing this work.
One of the most striking characteristics of the piece is the recurring melodic leaps in the violin throughout various passages, where I wanted to explore the instrument’s dramatic and expressive qualities (as well as, of course, the virtuosity of the soloist). Another defining feature is the constant metamorphosis of textures, motives, and harmonies, which play with the structure and expectations of the piece.
Despite its shorter duration, the structure resembles the first movement of a conventional concerto, in which the violin takes the leading role, with space for a (anti-climactic) cadenza and even certain passages that can be understood as “themes”—though more because of the compelling force of their texture than because of their melodic appeal or harmonic directionality.
The structure and motivation behind this concerto do not allude to specific feelings, nor do they seek to musically illustrate extramusical events. The lessons learned during this period culminated in this concerto, whose greatest motivation is to mark the end of one cycle and open the doors to the beginning of another.
Prelúdio ao Desconhecido (2017)
Prelude to the Unknown
For Wind Ensemble, grade 3
Duration c. 7’30”
Rodrigo Camargo, composer 