As part of the celebrations marking the centenary of Portimão’s elevation to city status, July will be distinguished by the musical program “Manuel Teixeira Gomes and Artistic Production at the Dawn of the 20th Century”. This initiative aims to pay homage to the tastes and era of the Portimão-born writer, a lover of the arts. Between the 16th and 28th of this month, cultural soirées, a gala of lyrical singing, Portugal’s first presentation of the opera “Sóror Mariana”, a conference on the life and work of Brazilian composer Júlio Reis, and the recitation of Almada Negreiros’ monologue “Manifesto Anti-Dantas” are proposed.
This project reconstructs Portimão’s collective memory through a series of multidisciplinary artistic initiatives, prepared by Grupo Coral Adágio in collaboration with the Municipality and supported by the Directorate-General for the Arts, representing one of the most vibrant periods in Portuguese socio-cultural history: the first half of the 20th century.
The project’s conception, under the artistic direction of maestro António Alves and musical direction of pianist Jeferson de Mello, was envisioned as a cohesive whole, with activities thematically related and characterized by the use of different venues/spaces in Portimão, transforming the city itself into a stage.
Cultural Soirées and Lyrical Gala:
On July 16th and 17th, starting at 9:30 PM, Casa Manuel Teixeira Gomes will host the Cultural Soirées, which will traverse the city’s old streets, evoking experiences from the early 20th century, especially through the music of Portuguese authors of the time. Participants include actors João Pedro Correia, Rafael Contente, and Rosário Costa, pianist Jeferson de Mello, and soprano Beatriz Direito.
On the evening of July 21st, starting at 9:00 PM, Praça da República will be the natural stage for the lyrical singing gala “Imagem de Mulher”. Drawing from a selection of arias from Romantic composers, the gala portrays different facets of feminine experiences in the realm of love. Anchored by soprano Adriane Queiroz (Staatsoper de Berlim) the performance aims to deepen the connection between music and word, intertwining poems by Lusophone authors and excerpts from “Cartas Portuguesas” with stories and emotions conveyed by female characters from popular operas.
National Premiere of the Opera “Sóror Mariana”:
Following on July 26th (6:00 PM) at TEMPO – Teatro Municipal de Portimão, a conference will be held featuring Gehad Hajar and Manuela Parreira da Silva, preparing the audience for the opera “Sóror Mariana”, premiering in Portugal on the evening of July 28th. The conference will delve into the life and work of Júlio Reis, composer of the opera “Soror Mariana” based on a libretto by Júlio Dantas, while Professor Manuela Parreira da Silva from Universidade Nova de Lisboa will discuss artistic production in the early 20th century, including Almada Negreiros’ controversial reaction to the aforementioned theatrical work, concluding with excerpts from the “Manifesto Anti-Dantas” recited by Portuguese singer Tiago Mota.
Finally, also at TEMPO on the evening of July 28th, the national premiere of the opera “Sóror Mariana” will take place. Inspired by Júlio Dantas’ play of the same name, the opera was subsequently adapted musically by Júlio Reis. The cast includes Michele Tomaz (Sóror Mariana) Renato Cordeiro (Noel Bouton, Count of Chamilly) Luis Carlos Figueiras (Bishop) Luísa Vaz Pinto (Abbess) Beatriz Direito (Sóror Inês) Carla Pontes (Sóror Agostinha) and Teresa Feliciano (Sóror Simoa) accompanied on piano by Jeferson de Mello, with the participation of the female choir from Grupo Coral Adágio.
