Etude de synthèse

Composed in 2009, Étude de synthèse lives up to its title: it is a short work (around four minutes) conceived as a synthesis of Mendes’s harmonic language, condensing into a single piece the characteristic chords that shaped his output across several decades. At over 85 years of age, Mendes appears to cast a retrospective glance over his pianistic legacy. Dedicated to pianist Antonio Eduardo Santos — a major interpreter of Mendes’s music — the piece was premiered and recorded by him on the album Porto, devoted to composers from the city of Santos. The context suggests a tribute piece, almost autobiographical in tone, in which each harmony resonates with personal significance.

Étude de synthèse adopts a brief, almost aphoristic form. Mendes presents a sequence of chords or chordal clusters that effectively form a “harmonic catalogue” of his stylistic journey. Some harmonies evoke the impressionistic colours of his early works (rich ninth chords), others recall the percussive dissonances of his concrete music period, while still others suggest the quasi-cluster aggregates found in his vocal experiments. The structure is free and non-developmental: rather than evolving thematically, the étude advances by juxtaposing contrasting harmonies. This progression may be heard as a traversal of the various aesthetic phases Mendes encountered during his life, with each chord selected for its particular flavour. Despite its apparent fragmentation, the piece maintains a sense of inner logic — often through a slow, meditative pace — that lends it a contemplative unity, as though Mendes were quietly reflecting on his own musical past.

Though modest in scale, Étude de synthèse has been hailed as a key work for understanding Mendes’s harmonic universe. Antonio Eduardo’s recording, featured on the 2010 album Porto: a música que saiu de Santos, offers a restrained and authoritative interpretation. Critics have noted the poignant character of the piece, often described as the composer’s harmonic testament. Étude de synthèse frequently appears in recital programmes dedicated to contemporary Brazilian music, where its brevity and intensity offer a striking contrast to more expansive works.