Music, heritage and biodiversity brought new life to “País das Uvas”, this weekend, in a journey of the Festival Terras sem Sombra that aroused enormous enthusiasm.
On the night of the 19th, the parish church of Vila de Frades received the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir which, under the direction of conductor Daniel Reuss – considered by the specialists to be a true genius in the interpretation of contemporary music – sang with intense emotion and impeccable virtuosity as vespers by Serguei Rachmaninov, enchanting the more than 600 spectators who flocked to this beautiful monument of southern Baroque.
The presentation of the full version of the vespers The great Russian composer gave voice to the Festival's commitment to recovering little-known or even forgotten heritages, casting a transversal and somewhat innovative look over the Alentejo and thus contributing to the irradiation of this formerly peripheral territory.
This is turning it into a true cornerstone in the international context of sacred art, allowing for unsuspected encounters between different traditions, as explained by the general director of the initiative José António Falcão.
This feeling of enchantment infected the Estonian delegation that visited Vidigueira and was received with the warmth of a friendly land, full of history and art. It wasn't until, on the day before the concert, that there was a meeting with the local choir “Vindimadores”, led by Father Manuel Reis, which musicians from Estonia listened to with amazement.
This would even be underlined by the “surprise guest” for the hearing of the vespers, poet Kristiina Hein, the most acclaimed Estonian writer today, whose work, well known internationally, is generating interest in Portugal.
The 20th was dedicated to the preservation of what the various stakeholders considered “our greatest weapon in times of crisis and the asset that is most precious to us”: biodiversity.
In an action organized in partnership with the Nature Conservation Institute, the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito, the City Council and the Parish Council, the local community joined the musicians and spectators of Terras sem Sombra for a march, in the middle of historic vineyards, between Vila de Frades and the villa of S. Cucufate, who traveled, with José Miguel Almeida, director of the Adega, almost 2000 years of winemaking tradition in the region.
With people of all ages, this group included children from local schools, youth “help” from the Volunteer Fire Brigade, farmers, catechists, mayors, ecologists, archaeologists, retired people, monks and other volunteers.
In a relaxed atmosphere, in the heart of nature, experiences were exchanged: knowing how to listen to the more than twenty species of birds that sought food in the vineyards and trees; knowing how to distinguish the vines from the different vines; knowing how to respect the role of each plant and each animal; knowing how to read the overlapping of various epochs in monuments and in the organization of fields; knowing how to sing and pray in full nature; all of this was the subject of enthusiastic sharing, not even stopped by the rain that intermediated brief bursts of the sun.
From the heritage of the time of the 1st Count of Vidigueira, D. Vasco da Gama, to landscapes marked by natural and built heritage, the participants witnessed the importance of this privileged area of Alentejo.
As Arlindo Ruivo, former president of the Cooperative, pointed out, “any parcel of this land is a piece of history”.
Visible affirmation in traditional cultivars, in the typical grape varieties of the region, namely the famous Antão Vaz, and also in the secular vineyards defended over the centuries by the villagers.
Finally, at the interpretation center of the ruins of S. Cucufate, a fresh and generous white wine was drunk, which did justice to the millenary richness of this genetic heritage.
At the end of the action, Carlos Carrapatoso, technician at the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park, appealed to the need to develop environmental awareness, between modern agriculture and urban life, which makes nature conservation a practice rooted in everyday life, in order to guarantee the sustainability of this sector, which currently faces many challenges on a global scale and needs a new lease of life: “you just want to, you just have to believe”. Something the children present celebrated with a thunderous clap of applause mixed with smiles. It's this power of music – creating complicity. This is also one of the most beautiful contributions of the Festival Terras sem Sombra.
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