‘Intervalo’ – Crítica de Jorge Mourinha, PÚBLICO

No lull in Intermission

Tiago Figueiredo’s documentary on the Gulbenkian Orchestra is spotless and clever

There is always a snare involved in making a behind-the-scenes documentary, in following a shooting, a rehearsal, a practice session – that the said documentary amount to no more than dissemination of the “official version”. A snare wherein Tiago Figueiredo might very easily have fallen in in the feature – Intermission – commissioned to him by the Gulbenkian Orchestra to signal its 50th anniversary (screening today and Friday in the opening of the Orchestra’s commemorative concerts) – and, in fact, the feeling lingers that much of what is shown here would require a longer duration in order to be explored in depth. Yet Tiago Figueiredo and his “open access” to every corner of the Large Auditorium backstage steer clear of the trap with noticeable grace. His documentary is not a linear narrative, but rather a nimble and casual-seeming series of “spur of the moment” snapshots in which the atmosphere and the experience of being part of this orchestra are pervasive. In Intermission, work (and the concerts, whose craftily dosed excerpts are nothing short of mouthwatering) weighs the same as leisure, whether it is the rushing exit after a performance to watch a Barcelona match or the discussion around flight prices for a tour, the condition of the organ used in a concert, the voracity displayed by a duck in the garden pond expecting a treat, the debate around supermarket bargain campaigns or the tuning of a cello. Intermission is aware that 56 minutes are not enough to go through it all and, therefore, wastes no time with explanations, choosing to show and share – spotless and clever work that makes one eager to know more. We hope to be able to see it in screens other than the Gulbenkian’s.

Jorge Mourinha