Rui Ribeiro teams up with the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra and the Lusitanian Ghosts
With the support of the Portuguese Society of Authors, the collective Lusitanian Ghosts, which revitalizes traditional Portuguese string instruments, will present a special concert featuring rearrangements and orchestrations of the band’s songs by composer Rui Ribeiro.
On July 4, 2025, the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Rui Ribeiro, will join forces with Lusitanian Ghosts, a band dedicated to creating new songs using regional Portuguese string instruments that have fallen into disuse. This special concert will take place at the Teatro Tivoli BBVA in Lisbon. The songs from the band’s three albums—Lusitanian Ghosts (2018), Exotic Quixotic (2021), and III (2023)—will be rearranged by Rui Ribeiro to incorporate new orchestrations, blending the band’s characteristic sound with conventional symphonic language, resulting in a unique concert experience.
In an open letter, the composer states, “The Lusitanian Ghosts are a collective with unique characteristics that, to my delight, add an additional layer to this stylistic fusion. On one hand, we have the use of ancestral string instruments from Portuguese culture, such as the Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Terceirense, and Amarantina, in an effort to preserve this musical and organological heritage. On the other hand, this folk sound is often integrated into a contemporary rock 'n' roll song approach. Uniting these two dimensions with the charismatic and legendary sound of the orchestra, with its wealth of colors and dynamic and emotional potential, will be an exciting challenge that will surely inspire me to give my best. Beyond these enriching characteristics, the literary content and messages present in the Lusitanian Ghosts’ songs are filled with meaning, always with the perspective of building a better world.”
Rui Ribeiro adds that he has always had a particular interest in merging different musical languages and aesthetic universes: “Throughout my career, I had the chance to participate in similar projects multiple times, especially in China, where since 2016 I have been dedicated to reorchestrating traditional Chinese music for modern orchestra performance, blending Western and Chinese musical languages in an effort to revitalize ancient repertoires. Opportunities for aesthetic fusion have also occasionally arisen in Portugal, such as the concert in which I had the privilege of participating in 2013, joining Aurea with the Filarmonia das Beiras Orchestra. I have always regretted not having more opportunities to undertake these projects in my country, so this invitation has brought me immense joy!”
The collaboration with the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra in this project is, according to the composer, a source of great excitement: “The fact that I can count on the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra for this adventure is, for several reasons, the ideal setting: it is a young, cohesive, energetic, and open-minded orchestra, accustomed to performing music beyond conventional classical repertoire. For me, it is also a personal opportunity to make music with many friends and colleagues with whom I have collaborated over the past years in Portugal” Rui Ribeiro states.
The statement concludes with Rui Ribeiro expressing his profound gratitude to the Cultural Fund of the Portuguese Society of Authors “for the generous support that makes this project possible” and reflecting that “both in music and in life, I believe that it is through the fusion of ideas, distinct cultures, understanding, tolerance, and inclusion of differences that we can evolve as human beings, prepared to face the greatest challenges our world presents us. May our concert, Lusitanian Ghosts & Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, reflect this, shining like a vibrant and colorful light with the tones of these musical worlds that will merge there.”
Team Rui Ribeiro