Carlos Damas

Carlos Damas
Background information
Born (1973-04-08) 8 April 1973
Coimbra, Portugal
GenresClassical
Occupationsviolinist and teacher
Websitehttps://www.carlosdamas.com

Carlos Damas (born 1973) is a leading Portuguese classical violinist and recording artist for Dux Records, Brilliant Classics, Et'cetera Records and Naxos. He is particularly known for his Fritz Kreisler interpretations and world premiere recordings of works by the Portuguese composers António Fragoso, Luís de Freitas Branco, Fernando Lopes-Graça and Sérgio Azevedo.[1] Carlos Damas is widely regarded as the most significant Portuguese violinist currently before the public, with a brilliant international career encompassing the great masterpieces to contemporary works, attested by an impressive international discography. He has often been compared by international critics to such masters as Thomas Zehetmair, Gidon Kremer and Henryk Szeryng.[2]

Life and career

Carlos Damas was born in Coimbra on April 8. He began his musical education at the age of three at the Coimbra Conservatory. At six, he moved with his family to Lisbon, where he continued his violin studies under Vasco Broco, Leonor Prado, and Alexandra Mendes.

At the age of 15, Damas made his solo debut performing with the Portuguese Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joaquim da Silva Pereira. He later pursued advanced studies at the Paris Conservatory with Jacqueline Lefèvre and Ivry Gitlis, and received mentorship from violinist Yehudi Menuhin during his time in Paris.

In 1993, Damas premiered the Violin Concerto by Luís de Freitas Branco in Paris.[3] Portuguese composer Sérgio Azevedo composed and dedicated the piece Reflections on a Portuguese Lullaby for solo violin and string orchestra specifically to Damas.[4][5][6]

Damas has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata de St. Severin, Camerata da Madeira, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, St. Luke's Orchestra, and the Mission Chamber Orchestra of San José. Since 1997, he has performed regularly in Macao with the Macao Chamber Orchestra. He has also taken part in concerts organized by the Melody for Dialogue Among Civilizations Association in partnership with UNESCO, including a 2007 performance of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto at Lincoln Center in New York City.[5][7][8]

He has performed in major concert venues such as Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot (Paris), the Dom Pedro V Theatre (Macao), UNESCO Grand Auditorium (Paris), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, São Luiz Theater, Belém Cultural Center, Lee Hysan Concert Hall (Hong Kong), Ville Louvigny (home of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg), the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb.

Carlos Damas holds a PhD in Music Education and Psychology and serves as a violin professor at the University of Évora.[9] He performs on a Giovanni Battista Gabrielli violin, the "ex-Isham", dated circa 1767.

Recordings

Carlos Damas made the first world recordings of several Portuguese composers music, recorded for the labels Dux, Brilliant Classics, and Naxos:

References

  1. ^ Jornal da Madeira. (24 October 2012). "Violinista Carlos Damas grava compositores portugueses para editoras internacionais" Archived 2014-02-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 February 2014 (in Portuguese).
  2. ^ [1] Retrieved 14 May 2021 (in English).Archived 2020-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Castelo-Branco, Salwa (2010). Enciclopédia da Música em Portugal no século XX. Vol. 4. Lisbon: Círculo de Leitores. p. 1382. ISBN 9789724245980.
  4. ^ AvA Musical Editions. "Reflections on a Portuguese Lullaby" Archived 2016-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  5. ^ a b Jornal Tribuna de Macau (29 January 2010). "Perfil de um virtuoso" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 February 2014 (in Portuguese).
  6. ^ Italian Camões Association. "Reflections on a Portuguese Lullaby". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  7. ^ Luso (6 June 2012). "Violinista Carlos Damas atua no sábado em Macau". Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 13 February 2014 (in Portuguese).
  8. ^ Melody for Dialogue Among Civilizations Association (2007). "Melody for Peace L'Italiana in Algeri (Rossini), but not only…)". Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Universidade de Évora / People". www.uevora.pt. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  10. ^ Heute, Klassik. "Après un Rêve". Klassik Heute (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  11. ^ "Aprés un rêve – Suplement de discos". sonograma.org. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  12. ^ "Reseña | Après un rêve". Melómano Digital - La revista online de música clásica (in Spanish). 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  13. ^ Byzantion (September 2012). Review: António Fragoso: Complete Chamber Music for Violin". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  14. ^ McQuiston, Bob (29 November 2011). "Classical Lost and Found: Branco's Laudable But Overlooked Sonatas". NPR. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  15. ^ Haylock, Julian (October 2009) Review: Kreisler: Violin miniatures: original works and arrangements" The Strad. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  16. ^ Druce, Duncan (2007). "Review: Modern Solo Violin Music". Gramophone, Vol. 85, p, 109. Quote: "The two Portuguese items are both first recordings."
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