CODAX | for ensemble with soprano – Carlos Lopes, 2024

CODAX is a performative work for soprano and ensemble by composer Carlos Lopes, based on the cantigas d’amigo of 13th-century Galician troubadour Martim Codax. Throughout its six music modules, the piece explores concepts of absence, distance and the ever-persistent movement of the sea waves central to its source text. The composer connects all of these ideas by organizing the ensemble into fluid groupings.  The violin alternates between a solitary role and various combinations with the trumpets and the full ensemble—piano, trombone, cello, flute, and percussion. The trumpets, at times shaping a fanfare-like sonority, join both the violin and the larger ensemble, while the soprano guides the listener through the piece, engaging with and weaving together its multiple musical layers.

CODAX was written for Sketch351, Veronique De Raedemaeker, Maria Portela Larisch,  Paulo Fernandes and Carlos Correia

Sketch351 is a group of curious musicians trying not to fall into a  collective identity crisis while trying to find their place on today’s music scene.  In this contradictory realm where they sometimes feel on the verge of entering a Kafka’s novel, they resort to their humor and their innate playfulness to navigate the absurdity of it all and to help them guide their creative process. Recently inspired by the Fluxus Movement’s manuals they transformed their artistic exploration into a playground and started to think about performing music outside the physical and symbolic boundaries of a concert hall.

They’re Dag in de Branding’s artist in residence (2024-2026) and have been developing music theater performances under the guidance of musician Heleen Hulst and actor and director Titus Muizelaar.

In the past years they’ve worked with composers such as Nuno Lobo , Carlos Lopes or Isaac Barzso and performed in The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Delft and Leiden), Portugal (Porto) and in Germany (Cologne).

2025

• REFLUXUS I – presentation at Festival Dag in de Branding (June)

• REFLUXUS II – presentation at Festival Dag in de Branding (October)

2024 

• CODAX – Carlos Lopes at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln

• beginning of the residency at Festival Dag in de Branding

 2023 

• It Rose Behind the River – performance of the new and expanded version of the piece with the support of NORMA funds – at Kaasmarktschool Leiden

 2022

• Goodmesh Winners Concert  – Vondelkerk, Amsterdam – It Rose Behind the River – premier 

• Delft Fringe Festival – It Rose Behind the River

• Conexões II – Exchange Project between ESMAE (Porto, Portugal) and Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag’s composition departments and Sketch351; Concerts at Teatro Teatro Helena Sá e Costa, Porto and Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag

• Collaboration with composer Isaac Barszo on composing the piece “Note: dates not remembered” – premier at Spring Festival Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag

2021 

– Goodmesh Concours 2021 Audience Prize together with Nuno lobo and Pedro Lobo for the virtual opera It Rose Behind the River

– Conexões – exchange project with ESMAE’s composition department in Porto – concert at Teatro Helena Sá e Costa, Porto

– Commission to composer Carlos Lopes – Sketch(es)