Welcome to CordaSonora, the home to artistic products of Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira and Ricardo Alves Pereira.

Here you will encounter a music label and more.

We write, play, design, produce and do many other things. It is difficult to label our work.

They are enjoyed by thousands though.

And this is just the beginning.

Moments from CMML 2024 - II

March 23

photography: Gil Lemos @gildelemoses

CONCERT NEWS

CMML 2024

Ciclo de Música Medieval de Leiria / The Medieval Music Cyle of Leiria

Prepare a visit to Leiria! During the CMML (Ciclo de Música Medieval de Leiria) there will be six concerts and workshops along the year led by The Wandering Bard with resident artist Antonio Casal and talented guests Jorge Luis Castro, Irene Brigitte and Orlando Trindade.

The events will take place in the Castle of Leiria, organized thanks to the Municipality of Leiria.

Before each concert there will be a workshop related to the repertoire the musicians will perform, shaped around the motto “Learning is Sharing”, aiming to create a stronger connection between the community and the music, for sharing the joy we feel towards these immortal melodies. In one of the events there will be an exhibition prior to the concert on music instruments from the medieval era as well.

With these workshops the general audience will gain insight on Alfonso X the Wise, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Llibre Vermell de Montserrat, Martin Codax, D. Dinis the Poet King, among many other joyous information and lore about medieval music and medieval culture, all of which will be heard during the concerts.

Placed on important days of pagan, solar and religious calendar, the Cycle of Medieval Music of Leiria (CMML) will be spread throughout the year, with its next concert on March 23.

Come join us!

LATEST PREMIUM CONTENT

Read now
Behind the Scenes: Part 3

On "Survivor's Dance"

There are some things I want to say about Survivor’s Dance, the track from The Songbook of Tchinar Vol. 3 (that is yet to come if you are reading this before 2nd of April 2024).

Like with any piece from any Songbook of Tchinar, there is a story behind this one. Sometimes they develop symbiotically with the “A Talk with Tchinar” volumes, and sometimes they gain life on their own. ​

I’ll explain the “psychology behind the scenes” after, but first, “the story behind the piece”:

Imagine you are in a dangerous and dark place. Your confidants are separated from you. You don’t have the strength to fight against the nightmares surrounding you, and the only thing you can do is to buy time while hope is leaving you, not being there for your peers is killing you in its own way by bleeding you out with sharp cuts of guilt, not knowing when they will arrive is haunting you and doubt is growing, as usual, in places where it’s less needed.

You are a musician. So you do what you know the best. You start playing…

LATEST ALBUM RELEASE

OUD

by Ricardo Alves Pereira

OUD is the lightest, most peaceful, and most hopeful album coming out of CordaSonora. It is the perfect introduction to Medieval music, presented as a solo collection of songs arranged for the oud. Ricardo Alves Pereira and his almond-shaped instrument invites the audience to be the visitors of a medieval inn, protected from the fierce winter outside, while enjoying a bard in the corner making his music.

The album consists of 14 melodies of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, transcribed directly from the original manuscripts “Códice de los Músicos” and “Códice Rico”, two musical collections unparalleled for their beauty and richness, both attributed to King Alfonso X (1221-1284), and presented to the audience with arrangements done by Ricardo Alves Pereira for Turkish oud, a close relative to the iberian medieval lute seen in the illuminations of the manuscripts of Cantigas de Santa Maria.

Crafted with passion and inspired by the mystical medieval Iberia, this album is a labor of love. Meticulously detailed, it promises an immersive experience.

Three iconic melodies from the Cantigas de Santa Maria were released as singles during the album creation process. “Santa Maria amar” (CSM 7) is a sweet gem, “Por nos de dulta tirar” (CSM 18) is a meditative hymn, and “Virgen madre groriosa” ( CSM 340) is a celestial melody crowned with improvisations surrounding it.

Previous Albums

Recent
Releases

Contemporary music, early music, world music and classical music works. Click here to see all previous releases.

The sixth album by the TWB Ensemble (The Wandering Bard) is an exhilarating journey through sound, a musical marvel that breathes new life into the medieval Cantigas de Santa Maria, attributed to Alfonso X, the Wise, a visionary Iberian king of the 13th century embellished by a legend from Leyriath.

In “Streams of Tranquility”, the immersive and modern melodies weave the album’s soundscape into the depths of calmness within the contemporary music scene. Aside from presenting his skills as a classical guitar player, in this album Ricardo Alves Pereira also shares his composer side with the audience; and it is fresh, intimate and inviting.

“My Vielle and the Rest” is a collection of 12th and 13th century songs, mainly but not only composed by troubadours and trouvairitz, presented as instrumental music in their most profound and most candlelit form for the audience to experience the silence, enjoy the darkness and cherish everything one can find within.

history

CordaSonora's Journey

CordaSonora, found by Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira and Ricardo Alves Pereira, began with the purpose of providing artistic and promotional material for ensembles the two musicians were participating in, extending from early music to jazz. In years, the content creation grew into a record label and photography/video production tailored for each formation.

CordaSonora team believes in artistic independence. Ricardo reflected this on his solo classical guitar career through Musical Narratives, a technique to redefine the concept of concert repertoire and storytelling; and Esin expanded her career as a violinist from metal to jazz to world music and composing, aside from her international classical training. Their search for independence merged together in the first ensemble they became founding members of; the TWB ensemble (The Wandering Bard) recorded their first LP with the recording gear Esin obtained through winning the Outstanding Talent Award from the Keep An Eye Foundation for her participation as the concert-master of the Jong Metropole 2017 project that lead to her investment in music production and sound engineering. This became the beginning of a journey that is getting better by the minute.

The CordaSonora philosophy is about presenting the product from a 100% authentic and autonomous channel; which is why not only the audio production but the visual content presented in this page are provided by the musicians themselves.