The Baixo Alentejo festival, which combines musical programming – classical and traditional – with activities to enhance heritage and safeguard biodiversity, is back for a new season, which lasts until July.
The start of this 14th edition of Lands without Shadow Festival it will be next Saturday, February 17th, in the municipality of Vidigueira, "terroir" of sublime wines, where culture and nature go hand in hand over breathtaking landscapes.
O Shadowless Lands proposes an experience open to all senses, inviting spectators every weekend to live an exciting program, which combines the discovery of remarkable repertoires and performers with visiting extraordinary monuments, generally inaccessible to the public, and participating in actions safeguarding biodiversity.
The afternoon of Saturday, the 17th, is dedicated, from 14:30 pm, to discovering a private property, the Carmelite convent of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias (Quinta do Carmo).
Vasco da Gama, the famous navigator, 1st Count of Vidigueira, died in Cochin, India, in 1524. The admiral's mortal remains came to the church of this convent, in 1539, and were there until his transfer to the Jerónimos monastery , in 1880. Carefully preserved, the old religious house is an art treasure. The visit is being guided by the owners, Mário, Susana and Filipa Maia e Silva, and by the art historian José António Falcão.
A parish church of Vila de Frades, at 21 pm, receives the (Chamber Choir of the National Opera and Szeged Cathedral, in Hungary), under the direction of Sándor Gyüdi. The initiative is the result of the Festival's partnership with the local City Council and Adega Cooperativa, in addition to Alentejo Tourism and the Ministry of Culture.
Founded in 1958 in Szeged, the third city in Hungary, guest country of this edition, Vaszy Viktor Kamarakorus has stepped on the main stages of the world.
Conductor Sándor Gyüdi, holder of important awards and extensive discography, is an international reference for those who enjoy polyphony, from the Gregorian tradition to the greatest sacred composers of today.
Sunday morning, the 18th, from 10:00 am, is dedicated to the region's wine traditions. Under the guidance of Virgílio Loureiro, professor at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia in Lisbon, and José Miguel Almeida, agronomist and president of the Adega Cooperativa, as well as producers such as Joaquim Galante de Carvalho and Arlindo Ruivo, the centenary vineyards of where the grapes used in the famous carving wine or “petroleiro” come from – a medieval wine made with Roman technology.
Participating in pruning, at the right time, and confronting ancient and modern practices, this is the challenge for the Festival's volunteers.
Created in 2003, the project Terras sem Sombra is the result of a civil society initiative. Its promoter is the Pedra Angular association and is the result of a partnership between several entities. The festival travels in the municipalities of Sines, Santiago do Cacém, Ferreira do Alentejo, Odemira, Serpa, Mértola, Barrancos, Elvas and Beja, from February 17th to July 8th. All activities are open access.
However, even before it starts, on February 15, at 18 pm, Terras sem Sombra will be presented in Cáceres, a city in the neighboring Spanish province of Extremadura.
This year, Cacéres was chosen for the presentation, in Spain, of this «festival so special and unique in the world». The session, scheduled for the Palacio de Congresos de Cáceres, will be attended by the Director General of Tourism of the Junta de Extremadura, the President of the Regional Tourism Authority of Alentejo and the Director General of the Festival Terras Sem Sombra.
The festival has always had strong links to Spain, from where an important part of the public that invades Alentejo towns every weekend. This connection has been reinforced since the artistic direction of Terras sem Sombra was handed over to Juan Ángel Vela del Campo, a well-known figure in the Spanish and European musical world.
Vidigueira
February 17
[15:00 am]
“A Pantheon for D. Vasco da Gama: The Convent of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias”
Collaboration: Quinta do Carmo
Support: City Council of vidigueira; UNESCO Center for Architecture and Art
village of friars
February 17
[21:30 am]
Main Church of São Cucufate
“O vos omnes: Hungarian Sacred Music of the XNUMXth-XNUMXst Centuries”
Vaszy Viktor Kamarakorus
Music Director – Sándor Gyüdi
village of friars
February 18
[10:00 am]
“From the Roman Period to the XNUMXst Century: Wine Traditions in the Terroir Vidigeiro"
Collaboration: Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito; Vidigueira Winelands
Support: Vidigueira City Council
Click here to know all the programming and news of Terras sem Sombra ou here
Comments