The 2018 edition of FIMA – Algarve International Music Festival «was a success» and the wish is that it will continue to promote classical music in the Algarve next year. Rui Pinheiro, artistic director of the festival and principal conductor of the Orquestra Clássica do Sul, gave a «very positive» balance of the event and is already thinking about the next edition.
Between March and May, renowned artists, some from abroad, came to the Algarve region to stage 15 concerts, which were spread across nine municipalities in the region.. Over the course of almost three months, the Algarve public and those visiting the region had the opportunity to watch many shows, some of them new proposals in the region.
“It's always great to have the opportunity to present a different program that goes beyond our regular activity. We had some guests, including highly regarded artists, Portuguese and foreign, which allowed us to present attractive programs», said Rui Pinheiro to Sul Informação.
It was with international guests, and soon in double dose, that the 2018 edition of FIMA ended. Conductor Peter Stark conducted an expanded Southern Classical Orchestra (OCS), in a concert that also featured violinist Francesca Dego.
O Sul Informação was in this show, which took place at Teatro das Figuras, in Faro, and took the opportunity to speak with Peter Stark. Moments before picking up the baton, the conductor told how it was to direct, for the first time, the Orquestra Clássica do Sul.
“Whenever we work with a new formation, we never really know what we can count on. I know the Portuguese well, whom I deal with in the European Union Youth Orchestra, so I was expecting a friendly and positive attitude, and that's what I found. They listened, worked hard and it was a pleasure. And the program is fantastic. For that alone, it's worth it,” revealed Peter Stark.
FIMA's closing concert program combined Sibelius' “Concerto for Violin”, “one of the landmarks of the concertante work for violin” and the piece “Sheherazade”, by Rimsky-Korsakov, “one of the most fantastic works in the orchestral repertoire », as highlighted, before the show, Rui Pinheiro.
It was to guide an OCS with more elements than usual that the British conductor was in the Algarve. Over three days, Peter Stark worked with professionals, but also with students, hired to bring musical education closer to the format of a symphony orchestra.
“I call this a sort of side-by-side orchestra, where professional musicians and students come together. And, in my experience, this is always a successful format. The students are very dedicated, as they are playing alongside professionals, and they also have a redoubled pride, as they want to show why they are professionals. The members of the orchestra have helped the students a lot, so the atmosphere has been warm and positive», said Peter Stark, in the exclusive interview he gave to Sul Informação.
The British conductor left the Algarve pleased by the experience and, despite confessing that he does not have elements to assess the importance of an event like FIMA for the region, he is certain.
“What I know is that the world is a place with many problems and what can unite us and generate a positive attitude is either love or art, culture. From this point of view, a festival like this makes an important contribution to the cultural evolution of the region. Bringing people like Francesca Dego, a wonderful violinist, and other musicians from abroad is very important», considered Starck.
This diversity, both in terms of the origin of the artists, the musical styles covered, the venues that hosted the concerts and the size of the orchestra – there were shows with small groups and others with the enlarged orchestra – were one of the organization's strategies.
The bet was, for example, to create bridges with other musical styles, namely pop and jazz, but also with other artistic expressions, namely theatre, and even with gastronomy.
This allowed reaching new audiences. “There were many people who saw a classical music concert for the first time. I felt that, in general, the reception from the public was very positive», revealed Rui Pinheiro.
Even so, he confessed to the Sul Informação FIMA's artistic director, there is still a way to go when it comes to attracting the public. “There are still some barriers, in relation to classical music. But there were formats that worked very well, such as the concert at the Hotel Conrad, which combined music and wine tasting. Also the connection to pop and jazz music can help to break down some barriers».
Rui Pinheiro hopes to be able to continue this work in 2019. For this, OCS has already submitted a new application to the “365Algarve” program, which, in the last two years, has made a “determining” financial contribution to the return of this festival, which went on for years without accomplish.
«There may be some adjustments, but the focus on diversity, both in spaces and in musical styles, is to maintain», concluded Rui Pinheiro.
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