QUARTETO CONTRATEMPUS

But Jeremias is a great seducer who falls in and out of love in a small space between four walls. He’s a lonely seducer. His senses experience reality and virtual reality in the same way. Therefore, emotionally hyperactive Jeremias Epicentro seduces the characters he plays with, the actresses from the films he watches and ultimately the heroines from the books he reads. The whole world fits in his bedroom, all human emotions and experiences, the passions, mistakes, achievements and unrest. A prisoner of his screen, Jeremias, as so many of his contemporaries, gradually loses the ability to tell what’s real from what’s virtual. In his bedroom, Jeremias turns pale over time. There isn’t much sun in the virtual world. This opera is based on a research project in partnership with FEUP to study the use of wearable technology in a traditional performance (namely controlling audio-visual data). “Sete mulheres do Minho”, by Zeca Afonso, was a great reference in our creative process. 

Quarteto Contratempus is a chamber opera ensemble created in 2008, originating from ESMAE, and comprising musicians Teresa Nunes (soprano), Crispim Luz (clarinet), Brenda Vidal Hermida (piano) and Susana Lima (cello). The Quartet creates and performs contemporary music pieces, mainly premiering the works of Portuguese authors, namely composers Fernando Lapa, Daniel Moreira, Nuno Côrte-Real, Sérgio Azevedo and Jorge Prendas.