The third concert of the 10th edition of the Baixo Alentejo sacred music festival stands out for its extraordinary versatility, demonstrated by the four male voices of the English ensemble, with a repertoire spanning six centuries.
In the year that celebrates the 40th anniversary of The Hilliard Ensemble, this English group, considered the most notable of its kind internationally, bids farewell to a brilliant musical career, on 26 April, at the parish church of Santiago do Cacém, in a concert starting at 21 pm.
“Voices that spring from Heaven” is the motto that illustrates the musical moment of the ensemble composed of the four voices – David James (countertenor), Rogers Covey-Crump (tenor), Steven Harrold (tenor) and Gordon Jones (baritone) – who will give life to works ranging from Romanesque (XNUMXth century) to Mannerism (XNUMXth century), that is, from Pérotin to William Cornysh.
Designed specifically for the Alentejo, a region open, since the beginning of its nationality, to the influence of the Atlantic countries, the program includes a selection of very old monodays and polyphonies, coming from two essential geographic quadrants of the medieval era: the Frankish territory and the no less influential British Isles, holders of a very strong cultural tradition.
The concert continues with a group of works illustrating the musical genres cultivated in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, a religious and artistic center of great importance, from the end of the XNUMXth century onwards.
The presence of The Hilliard Ensemble «represents, undoubtedly, a milestone in the Festival's history, fully corresponding to its spirit: to bring unpublished or little-heard repertoires among us, through exceptional interpreters, to some of the most significant religious monuments in the region. Alentejo, in acoustic terms and in terms of heritage», stresses the Festival organizers.
The parish church of Santiago do Cacém, which dates back to the XNUMXth century, offers “absolutely exceptional” conditions for the interpretation of vocal music. All of this makes this concert “a magical and unrepeatable moment”.
In the morning of the next day, the organization of Terras Sem Sombra invites anyone who wants to join artists and members of the local community in a volunteer initiative to explore and help defend the ecotourism potential of the Portuguese coast.
The privileged stage will be the Natural Reserve of Lagoas de Santo André and Sancha, a protected area with high ecotourism potential.
Envisioning the role of ecological tourism in biodiversity conservation is the objective of this action, which will start at 10:30 am and will culminate in the Salgueiral da Galicia Trail, a grove of willows, of great quality and rarity in the context of wetlands from the south of Portugal, whose valorization means a real challenge for the region.
With regard to fauna, its importance as a nesting and resting place for birds, as well as shelter and feeding for mammals, is evident, being also important for the reproduction of amphibians.
The route includes an elevated walkway, about 640 meters long, equipped with observation and information structures.
The Hilliard Ensemble: Ending a career to the fullest
With an unrivaled reputation in both early and contemporary music, The Hilliard Ensemble is a unique reference for vocal chamber music.
Its characteristic style and its experienced musicality bring the listener closer to both the repertoires of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as works written by living composers.
The male voices ensemble gave its first concert in 1974, initially focusing on early music. However, since the beginning of existence, the group paid the same attention to current music. The recording of Passio, by Arvo Pärt, in 1988, started a very fruitful relationship with the author and with the company ECM, from Munich, followed by the recording of Litany, also by Pärt.
The Hilliard Ensemble commissioned other composers from the Baltic countries, including Veljo Tormis and Erkki-Sven Tüür, associating them with their repertoire, along with Gavin Bryars, Heinz Holliger, John Casken, James MacMillan, Elena Firsova and many others.
In August 2008, a new stage in the ensemble's life began, with the debut, at the Edinburgh International Festival, of a musical theater project written by Heiner Goebbels, in a production by the Théâtre Vidy, in Lausanne: I Went to the House but Did not Enter, being then performed on successive European and North American stages, culminating at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, in New York, in November 2012.
2014 witnesses the celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Hilliard Ensemble, which began spectacularly with a very special concert in London, in which the current group got together with four of their former members to interpret a program of which was part of a commission to Roger Marsh.
In the main church of Santiago do Cacém – a reference for the Festival Terras sem Sombra – the end of a whole cycle of unsurpassed artistic value is marked with a golden key.
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