Como se Faz Cor-de-Laranja performed in Lisbon

A composition by Dr Pedro Faria Gomes, Lecturer in Composition at Cardiff University School of Music, was recently performed by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.

Como se Faz Cor-de-Laranja (How to Make the Colour Orange) is a 25-minute work for narrator and 17 musicians, based on a children’s short story by António Torrado. The piece was performed by Sílvia Correia (narrator) and musicians from the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, conducted by José Eduardo Gomes.

Originally commissioned by the Academia de Música de Viana do Castelo and composed in 2007, the piece has been performed several times since, including at Casa da Música in Porto, by the Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra. This recent performance was the Lisbon premiere of the work.

The original short story by António Torrado tells the story of a boy who doesn’t know how to mix colours in order to make orange, and his quest to find a solution to this problem. Originally published in 1979, it received the Gulbenkian Grand Prize of Literature for Children and Youth in 1980.

This piece is one of a number composed by Dr Faria Gomes for young performers or young audiences.