It’s called ØBSIDIANA, vol.2,and it’s the second chapter of the trilogy of colours, a sound and visual essay launched by Filipe Raposo in 2019, that begins with an artistic reflection on the influence of three colours: red, black and white – a ternary system that has a symbolic role since Classical Antiquity. With ØCRE, the pianist and composer addressed the variation of red, embodied in a repertoire of unpublished themes and reinterpretations of other works, such as To an unknown god, based on Bach’s choral BWV 245, Ó meu bem, on a traditional Azorean melody, and Oblivion Soave, from Monteverdi’s opera (The Coronation of Poppea), with interpretation by the singer Rita Maria.

If in the first reflection multiple meanings associated with the colour red emerged, related to power, love or death, in this second chapter black is celebrated, historically linked to connotations ranging from the absence of colour itself to being a dull colour. From sophisticated and elegant luxury to dignity and mystery. “In tales and fables colour serves to distinguish characters, social functions: red associated with warriors, black associated with work and white linked to the priestly function. Understanding colour – the colours – and their symbolism has been one of the fundamental questions throughout this reflection, transformed into restlessness. In this sound essay, colour and music are intimately linked in what is inevitably my symbolic-artistic universe”, writes Filipe Raposo.