Iberian Nights is the title of the latest CD project by pianist Bernardo Santos, a doctoral researcher at INET-md, based at the University of Aveiro (UA).
This CD is dedicated to Iberian concertante repertoire and features the works Noites nas Ruas da Mouraria (1949) by Ruy Coelho and Noches en los Jardines de España (1916) by Manuel de Falla. The project marks the recording debut of Noites nas Ruas da Mouraria, bringing to light a piece that had fallen into obscurity since the 1960s. The album is guided by two main threads: the friendship that existed between Ruy Coelho and Manuel de Falla—from the 1920s until the Spanish composer’s death—and the thematic affinities between their concertante works. This recording is part of Bernardo Santos’s research within the Doctoral Programme in Music at UA, under the supervision of Helena Marinho.
Supported by the Directorate-General for the Arts and Antena 2, Iberian Nights establishes a dialogue between two nocturnal visions of Iberian identity: one Spanish, impressionistic and Andalusian; the other Portuguese, urban, poetic, and deeply evocative. It is a sonic journey through gardens and streets, memory and modernity.
The album, available on Spotify, was recorded by Bernardo Santos on piano, together with the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Osvaldo Ferreira, at the High Performance Artistic Centre (CARA) studios in Matosinhos. Technical support during the recording, as well as mixing and mastering, was provided by João Dionísio and Lívia Duque (Duktus Sound Studio), with Fernando Rocha responsible for piano tuning. Graphic design and production were handled by Da Vinci Publishing, based in Japan.