The Algarve International Music Festival (FIMA) returned in 2017, after an interval of eight years, and «it was a battle won», according to Rui Pinheiro, principal conductor of the Orquestra Clássica do Sul and artistic director of the festival.
In an interview with the Impressões program, jointly promoted by Sul Informação and on Rádio Universitária do Algarve, Rui Pinheiro spoke about his career, the return of FIMA and the future projects of Orquestra Clássica do Sul.
For the conductor, “we managed to respond to the expectations generated around the return of FIMA”. “Last year we had a fantastic schedule and I felt it was successful. There was a very intense cultural activity, with groups, soloists, well-known names that people wanted to see and had this opportunity», he added.
About FIMA 2018, which runs until May 24th, the conductor says there is a «continuity» in relation to last year and «we have an interesting expectation».
In this year's program, Rui Pinheiro explains that the organization tried to «go from the baroque period to contemporary music, from symphonic training to chamber music training, from formal concert, in which we have an orchestra to a project, with Diogo Infante , in which we are going to do a play. We tried to offer a diversified set of concerts and formats».
The festival returned last year with the support of 365Algarve, which continues this year, and this support was essential for FIMA to return to existence: «making a festival of this magnitude has costs that the Orquestra Clássica do Sul could not afford. The orchestra has its support that serves to make its regular season and cover the basic costs of managing the orchestra, travel, or concerts […]. FIMA is a very large extra that, quite honestly, it would not be possible to do without the support of 365Algarve».
The program that aims to give cultural life to the region in the so-called low season is a bet that Rui Pinheiro considers right because «culture must go hand in hand with tourism».
In the case of FIMA, although the conductor has doubts that the event will attract foreign tourists, «at national level I believe so, I am aware of people who will come from Lisbon on purpose to the Algarve to see a concert, because they really want to see that artist , that grouping'.
«The Algarve is a fantastic place: it's sunny, you eat well, if you also have a fantastic cultural activity, maybe, instead of Ibiza, I'd rather spend a few days in the Algarve», he concludes.
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