Paulo C. Chagas – The Living Composers Project

German composer, born in Brazil and now resident in the USA, of mostly stage, chamber, choral, electroacoustic, and multimedia works that have been performed throughout the Americas and Europe.

Mr. Chagas initially studied at the Universidade de São Paulo from 1973–79 and later studied with Henri Pousseur at the Conservatoire royal de musique in Liège from 1980–82. He then studied electronic music at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne from 1982–89. He earned his PhD at the Université de Liège in 2003.

Among his honours are a prize in a national competition in Rio de Janeiro (1977, for Webern: de tempos em tempos), the prize for l'Opéra Autrement from the Centre Acanthes (1989, for Oddort) and selection to the IAMIC Annual List (2001, for Bonfim). He has received commissions from the festival Ars Musica in Brussels, the Bonner Entwicklungswerkstatt für Computermedien, the Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar, the festival Moscow Autumn, the festival MusikTriennale in Cologne, Oper Bonn, the Theaterhaus Stuttgart, WDR, and the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik.

He is also active in other positions. He worked as sound director of the studio for electronic music at WDR from 1990–99, where he conducted extensive research into algorithmic composition, computer music, electronic music, interactivity, multimedia, and sound spatialisation. There he also wrote music software and computer applications for analysis and composition. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Centre Henri Pousseur in Liège since 1998.

He taught as a visiting lecturer at the Université de Liège from 1991–93 and at the Conservatoire royal de musique in Liège in 1995–96. He has taught technology and music as Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of California, Riverside since 2004.

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail address: paulo.chagas@ucr.edu

Website: http://www.paulocchagas.com/

Eshu (music-theatre work, texts by the composer, Bettina Zacher), 4 female voices–actors, dancer, baritone saxophone, 4 percussion, fixed media (4 tracks), slide projections, 1984

Baiser (text by the composer), female actor, male actor, fixed media (2 tracks), 1985

Peep Show (music-theatre work, texts by the composer, Bettina Zacher, Stephanie Mühle, Horst Tonmeyer), female voice–actor, male voice–actor, mime/dancer, alto saxophone (+ tenor saxophone), trumpet, bass guitar, synthesizer, drum kit, fixed media (2 tracks), slide/film projections, 1985–87 (three sections may be performed separately: Pornokabel, male actor, fixed media [2 tracks], slide/film projections, 1985; Du bist ein Schwein, female voice–actor, drum kit, fixed media [2 tracks], 1985; Magisches Auge, female actor, male actor, fixed media [2 tracks], 1985; four sections may be performed separately as concert works: Fais-moi peur; Computer I; Computer II; Computer III)

Vom Kriege III (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, Bettina Zacher, after Ernst Jünger, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti), baritone, male actor, dancer, mixed chorus, piano, 2 percussion, 2 electronic percussion (both + synthesizer), fixed media (4 tracks), 1984–89

Oddort (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, after Louis-Ferdinand Céline), tenor, 2 baritones, bass, female actor, male actor, soprano saxophone (+ tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone), trumpet, trombone, violin, double bass, piano, 2 percussion, fixed media (4 tracks), 1988–89

Shango-Kultmusik, dancer, 2 percussion, fixed media (4 tracks), computer, 1989

Vom Kriege I (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, Bettina Zacher, after Ernst Jünger), baritone, piano (1/2 players), fixed media (4 tracks), 1984–90

Sodoma (dance music, text from the Bible, choreography by Cláudio Bernardo), 5 mixed voices, 3 percussion, 16 strings, fixed media (7 tracks), 1991 (a concert suite was arranged; three sections may be performed separately as concert works: Leçon des voyelles; Sal; Découverte du corps; also concert versions of four sections: Atabaques, 3 percussion; Garotos, 4 percussion; Pas de deux, violin, cello; Trabalhos I, 7 percussion [also version as Trabalhos II, 8 percussion])

Raptus (dance music, choreography by Cláudio Bernardo), dancer, 2 percussion, fixed media (4 tracks), computer, 1992

Francis Bacon (dance music, texts by Francis Bacon, T. S. Eliot, choreography by Johann Kresnik, Ismael Ivo), soprano, countertenor, baritone, percussion, string quartet, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (23 sections may be performed separately as concert works: Film; Dance with Blanket; Men's Love Blanket; Handicapped 2; Meat; George Dyer; Distortion/Self-portrait; Pope; Empty Space; Birthing; Prison; Men's Love; Knife/Violation; Lonely/Two Bodies; Shaving; Scotchtape 1; Scotchtape 2; Flowers; Handicapped 1; Handicapped 3; Sitting; Love; Foolish King)

Der Fluß (chamber opera/scenic oratorio, text by Simone Rist, after João Cabral de Melo Neto), mezzo-soprano, baritone, bass, 3 speakers, male actor, percussion, string quartet, fixed media (8 tracks), 1994 (one section may be performed separately as a concert work: Rio, Intermezzo 3)

Observation Suite (sceneries, choreography by James Saunders), computer, computer animation (by Aeldrik Pander, Jelske Kloppenburg), film (by Inge Kamps), 1996

Capivara (ballet music, choreography by Lina do Carmo), fixed media (2 tracks), 1997

Artaud (Fremd im eigenen Körper: Auswanderungen zu Antonin Artaud) (ballet music, choreography by Ismael Ivo), fixed media (2 tracks), 1997

RAW (Vom Kriege II) (techno-opera, libretto by the composer, after Ernst Jünger, Carl von Clausewitz, traditional poetry of the Yoruba people), coloratura soprano, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, dancer, 3 synthesizers, 3 percussion, live electronics, 1999

Canções dos olhos (dance music, choreography by Veronica Endo), female dancer, computer, film (by Johannes Birringer), 2005 (longer version of vocal work)

La Passion selon Guignol (texts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Gérard de Nerval, Christopher Marlowe, William Blake, Michel Butor), 4 amplified mixed voices, large orchestra (86 players), 4 ring modulators, live electronics, 1982 (collaboration with Henri Pousseur)

Eshu: la porte des enfers, 3 Afro–Brazilian percussion, large orchestra (66 players), fixed media (4 tracks), 1983

Sodoma, 5 mixed voices, 3 percussion, 16 strings, fixed media (2 tracks)/computer, 1991 (concert suite from dance work)

Nuit-lumière, small orchestra (12/13 players), computer, 1995 (collaboration with Jean-Marc Sullon)

Migration I, MIDI-piano, small orchestra (15 players), fixed media (13 tracks), computer, 1995–97

Webern: de tempos em tempos, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, vibraphone, 1976

Motet: Illibata Dei Virgo Nutrix, French horn, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 1982

Ashe, 4 percussion, fixed media (4 tracks), 1984 (also version for fixed media [4 tracks])

Trabalhos I, 7 percussion, 1991, revised 2003 (concert version of section of Sodoma; also version as Trabalhos II, 8 percussion, 2003)

Film, percussion, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Dance with Blanket, cello, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Men's Love Blanket, violin, viola, cello, percussion, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Handicapped 2, string quartet, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Meat, percussion, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

George Dyer, violin, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Distortion/Self-portrait, percussion, string quartet, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Pope, soprano, countertenor, baritone, percussion, string quartet, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Rio, Intermezzo 3, percussion, fixed media (3/8 tracks), 1994 (section of Der Fluß; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Un Invisible laberinto de tiempo, oboe (+ English horn), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trombone, viola, cello, piano, 2 percussion, 1996

Three Pieces for Children's Choir (text by Cecília Meireles), children's chorus, 1975

Lygia's Fingers (text by Augusto de Campos), soprano, 8 mixed voices, vibraphone, 1979–80

Do you love me II (text by R. D. Laing), 5 mixed voices, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, 2 trumpets, trombone, synthesizer, drum kit, percussion, 1984

Sal, 5 mixed voices, 1991 (section of Sodoma; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Leçon des voyelles, 5 mixed voices, fixed media (3 tracks), 1992 (section of Sodoma; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Air: up into the silence (text by e. e. cummings), alto, fixed media (2 tracks), 1981

Immer wieder (text by Bertolt Brecht), soprano, double bass/bass guitar/synthesizer, 1983

Découverte du corps, 3 female voices, 1991 (section of Sodoma; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Empty Space, countertenor, 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Knife/Violation (text by Francis Bacon), soprano, countertenor, baritone, percussion, string quartet, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Scotchtape 1 (text by T. S. Eliot), soprano, countertenor, baritone, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Handicapped 1 (text by T. S. Eliot), soprano, countertenor, baritone, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Handicapped 3 (text by Francis Bacon), soprano, countertenor, baritone, percussion, string quartet, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Love (text by Francis Bacon), soprano, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Initium (text by Paul Verlaine), soprano, flute (+ alto flute), cello, piano, drum kit, 1997

Der Blaue Raum (texts by Novalis, Haroldo de Campos), female speaker, computer/fixed media (2 tracks), 2001

Canções dos olhos (text by the composer), mezzo-soprano, cello, piano, 2005 (also longer version as dance music)

Ashe, fixed media (4 tracks), 1984 (version of work for 4 percussion, fixed media [4 tracks])

Fais-moi peur, fixed media (2 tracks), 1985 (section of Peep Show; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Computer I, fixed media (2 tracks), 1985 (section of Peep Show; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Computer II, fixed media (2 tracks), 1985 (section of Peep Show; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Computer III, fixed media (2 tracks), 1985 (section of Peep Show; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Machine de Vision, any number of voices/instruments ad libitum, fixed media (2 tracks), 1991 (one section may be performed separately: Véhicule dynamique)

Birthing, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Prison, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Men's Love, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Lonely/Two Bodies, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Shaving, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Scotchtape 2, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Flowers, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Sitting, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Foolish King, fixed media (2 tracks), 1993 (section of Francis Bacon; may be performed separately as a concert work)

Rasender Stillstand (performance piece), player, computer, lights (by Lu Mettelsiefen), 1992

The Book of Air (interactive environment), computer, holography (by Doris Vila), film (by Doris Vila), film projector, 1993

Global Village – Hidden Pathways (interactive music-theatre work, text by Doris Vila), female voice, computer, holography (by Doris Vila), film (by Doris Vila), film projector, 1993

Observation Environment (interactive environment), computer animation (by Aeldrik Pander, Jelske Kloppenburg), computer, 4 data projectors, film projector, 1996

Zeit-Wände II, DVD (with film projector), 1997 (collaboration with Inge Kamps)

Märchen aus dem Metakino: das Choreoskop (interactive opera for children), computer, graphics (by Roy Herbst), computer animation (by Aeldrik Pander, Jelske Kloppenburg), 1997

Visions room (permanent installation/interactive music and text installation), computer, film projector (interactive design and graphics programming by Arjen Keesmaat), 2003

Zeit-Wände VII (music and video installation), 5 DVDs, 5 film projectors (film by Inge Kamps), 2003

Circular Roots (interactive performance), violin, computer, film projector (film by Luiz Carlos Joels), interactive design–image processing (by Patrick Delges), 2003 (also version without violin, 2004)

Blind City (Essay on blindness) (interactive opera-installation, libretto by the composer, Johannes Birringer, after José Saramago, choreography by Kristin Hapke), coloratura soprano, 2 female speakers, 2 male actors, female dancer, DJ, film (by Lynn Lukas, Johannes Birringer), interactive light-design (by Patrick Delges), 2004

eros-ion! (opera-installation, libretto compiled by the composer, texts by Dan Albertson, Jorge Luis Borges, Gaston Bachelard, Josué de Castro, the composer, Ferreira Gullar, the Gnostic Gospels), soprano, bass, bass clarinet, piano (+ synthesizer), 2 percussion, computer, film (by Luiz Carlos Joels), 2004–06

A Vladimir Maiakovski I. Terão Chebl, flute; Marco Antonio Cancelo, piano (FUNARTE: 356 404 034, 1986) (LP)

Magisches Auge from Peep Show; Baiser. Paulo C. Chagas, Stephanie Mühle, actors (Peccata Mundi: 110, 1986)

Sodoma (excerpts). Gérard Bernard, Géry Cambier, Philippe Herr, percussion; Celso Antunes/Tippett Ensemble, Helix Ensemble (Subrosa: SUBCD 026-48, 1993)

Francis Bacon (excerpts). Anne Cambier, soprano; Michel Puissant, countertenor; Bernd Valentin, baritone; Michael Weilacher, percussion; Celso Antunes/Quadro Quartet (KlangStudioC: C9401, 1994)

É o silêncio. Cléa Galhano, alto recorder (Ten Thousand Lakes: SC 110, 1998)