O meu amigo Koellreutter

O meu amigo Koellreutter (“My friend Koellreutter”) is a short piece composed in 1998 for an unusual trio of soprano voice, marimba, and piano. With this work, Mendes pays tribute to Hans-Joachim Koellreutter (1915–2005), the German-Brazilian composer and pedagogue who was both his mentor and friend. A central figure in the introduction of dodecaphony and musical modernism to Brazil, Koellreutter had travelled extensively in Asia, living in both India and Japan. Mendes drew on these journeys to infuse the piece with an exotic, “orientalising” atmosphere — a tongue-in-cheek nod to Koellreutter’s life. As Mendes explained: “My friend Koellreutter lived in India and Japan. So this musical homage carries a certain oriental, exotic atmosphere, with some references to the Japanese scale and to the 1930s Road films with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.” The blend is intentional: it evokes both the real East experienced by Koellreutter and the imagined East of interwar Hollywood.

O meu amigo Koellreutter is a compact work (approx. 4 minutes) structured as a sequence of contrasting tableaux. The piano part lays out the main harmonic palette, often modal or pentatonic in reference to traditional Japanese scales. The marimba engages in a rhythmic and melodic dialogue with the piano, producing textures that recall either gamelan music — through hypnotic repetition — or stylised “Japanese” sonorities shaped by augmented fourths typical of Japanese pentatonic modes. The soprano, for the most part, sings without fixed text — on vocalises or perhaps playful onomatopoeia — heightening the piece’s exotic and cinematic quality. Mendes sprinkles his score with allusions: here, a phrase that resembles an Indian chant; there, a melodic gesture echoing a 1930s film song. The gentle humour of the homage emerges through these stylistic collages. Despite its eclecticism, the piece is unified by a tone of tender nostalgia. Mendes appears to recall, with wistful fondness, the heroic era when Koellreutter introduced the avant-garde to Brazil — an era now tinged with the sepia hue of old film reels.

O meu amigo Koellreutter was likely premiered in an intimate setting, possibly during a tribute concert to Koellreutter in the late 1990s. It first gained wider exposure through a collective vinyl album entitled Koellreutter 70, released in 1985 to mark the composer’s 70th birthday. The piece was performed there by soprano Carol McDavit and pianist Maria Teresa Madeira, with marimba accompaniment — a testament to the high esteem in which Koellreutter was held by Brazilian musicians. Later, pianist Antonio Eduardo presented a new concert version with soprano Márcia Guimarães, emphasising the rhythmic liveliness of the score. Though not widely known to general audiences, the work remains appreciated by Brazilian chamber ensembles for its unusual instrumentation and evocative tone. It also stands as a vivid example of Mendes’s cosmopolitanism: his ability to weave together Eastern, Hollywood, and Brazilian references into a playful and affectionate homage reflects the creative freedom that defines his music at the turn of the 21st century.