Guilherme Vaz: Sinfonia do Fogo (1984/2001)
Artist: Ana Vaz
Vocalist: Claudia Pereira
As part of Ana Vaz’s exhibition A Câmera é o Corpo (The Camera is the Body) at Mudam Luxembourg, Philharmonie Luxembourg will stage the recreation of Sinfonia do Fogo (1984/2001), a musical composition by late Brazilian pioneer of sound and conceptual art, Guilherme Vaz, the artist’s father.
An influential experimental composer and conductor, Guilherme Vaz (1948, Araguari – 2018, Rio de Janeiro) introduced concrete music to Brazilian cinema. His compositions often echo through the films of Ana Vaz (1986, Brasília). Based on sonic canons and repetitions, Sinfonia do Fogo delves into soundscapes of the Brazilian Midwest and features a chant by the Xavante people, who are indigenous to the region.
For its European premiere, the score will be performed by six musicians, including vocal performances by Ana Vaz and Claudia Pereira. Pereira performed the original vocals in the composition and is also the artist’s mother. The score has been meticulously reconstructed through the transcription of archival material.
A multifaceted artist, thinker and researcher, Guilherme Vaz significantly contributed to conceptual and sound art in Brazil. From the mid-1970s onwards, he collaborated with Indigenous communities in central and northern Brazil. These collaborations had a lasting influence on his musical work.
Co-produced by Mudam Luxembourg and the 2026 rainy days festival of Philharmonie Luxembourg in collaboration with Luxembourg Art Week.
With the support of the Centre national de l’audiovisuel.
Philharmonie Luxembourg
1 Pl. de l'Europe
1499 Clausen Luxembourg
NB: Only available on presentation of a rainy days festival ticket
