Terras sem Sombra, which has already achieved the status of an Iberian festival, extends, in 2019, to Spain. March is a Portuguese month in neighboring Extremadura, with activities in the two provinces, Cáceres and Badajoz, from this sister community of Alentejo. And so the festival heads to Valencia de Alcântara, on the 9th and 10th of March.
Organized at the invitation of the Junta de Extremadura, the cycle of initiatives results from the festival's partnership with the Directorate-General for Tourism of that autonomous community and the municipalities of Valencia de Alcântara and Olivença.
In focus, classical and contemporary music, cultural heritage and biodiversity – which provide unique experiences and inseparably link the two regions.
Valencia de Alcântara, a treasure to discover
This border town is linked to Portugal by old ties. Here, in 1497, the marriage of the Infanta D. Isabel de Aragão – the eldest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs – and of the Portuguese king D. Manuel I was celebrated.
The betrothals are recreated, each summer, by the inhabitants of the locality and of neighboring Marvão, in Boda Régia. An inspiring story for anyone entering a territory full of surprises, where the frontier is little more than an administrative convention.
The afternoon of Saturday, 9th, will be dedicated, from 15 pm, under the guidance of Daniel Méndez, to the megalithic group of Valencia de Alcântara, one of the most important (and in the best state of conservation) in Europe, configuring an extensive sacred landscape.
It encompasses numerous funerary monuments, formed by blocks of granite and schist: dolmens – or tapirs – and standing stones. Some have reached our days with other functions and serve as landmarks for land, meeting points or even places for religious celebrations and civil festivities.
Charles Ives, Bruno Soeiro and Mozart
The wedding of D. Isabel and D. Manuel took place in the main church of the village, Santa Maria de Rocamador. It is a remarkable monument of Gothic art, linked to the cult of the black image of the Mother of God, a characteristic devotion of the late Middle Ages and which radiated from a famous monastery in the south of France, Notre-Dame de Rocamadour, along the Camino de Santiago.
This temple, a fundamental reference on the Jacobean route in Extremadura, hosts the concert at 19 pm on the same day. Sailing is necessary, by the Orquestra Clássica da Sul, under the direction of Rui Pinheiro.
On stage, there will be an exception program: The Unanswered Question, by Charles Ives, an exceptional North American author, but little heard in the Iberian Peninsula; sillages, by the Portuguese Bruno Soeiro; and the Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", Mozart's summit work.
The Southern Classical Orchestra, headquartered in Faro, stands out in the Portuguese music panorama, offering a diversified, innovative and high artistic quality program.
Rui Pinheiro, its principal conductor since 2015, has given it a very particular stamp, in which can be seen his enthusiasm for contemporary music and his work with Kenneth Hesketh, Alison Kay, Augusta Read Thomas, Stephen MacNeff, Pedro Faria Gomes, Luís Soldado and Luís Tinoco, among other important composers.
In the waters of the Tejo Internacional: Avifauna and landscape
Sunday morning targets the Tejo Internacional, which covers the valley of the river's border section, of recognized importance from the point of view of biodiversity conservation, in which human disturbance is reduced.
This territory stands out for the set of its cliffs, housing characteristic biotopes, including areas of cork oak forests and scrubland where rockrose, rosemary and heather and cereal steppes predominate, as well as elements of flora and fauna of undeniable interest.
They highlight the water lines with riparian plant communities and, in the field of avifauna, species preserved by international conventions. It is an important nesting area where you can see the Bonelli's eagle, the golden eagle, the common vulture and the Egyptian vulture. It is also home to populations of black storks, which are very rare.
The Tejo Internacional Natural Park designates two protected natural spaces, one in the province of Cáceres, in Spain, and the other in the district of Castelo Branco, in Portugal.
Both will be toured by Terras sem Sombra, aboard the Balcón del Tajo ship, with a capacity of 80 passengers, on a guided tour by Roberto Ramallete, Dinis Cortes and João Carvalho. Departure will be from Valencia de Alcântara at 9:30 am (local time).
All activities are free access and without prior registration, departing the Shadowless Lands then to Olivença, Beja, Elvas, Cuba, Ferreira do Alentejo, Odemira, Barrancos, Santiago do Cacém and Sines.
ALCANTARA VALENCE
9 March
15:00 pm – Talking Stones: Megalithic Landscapes of the Alcântara Region
City Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1, Valencia de Alcántara
19:00 – Church of Our Lady of Rocamadour
Navigating Is Must: Three Symphonies for One Orchestra
Southern Classical Orchestra
Direction Rui Pinheiro
10 March
09:30 am – In Águas do Tejo Internacional: Avifauna and Biodiversity
Meeting point: Plaza de la Constitución, 1, Valencia de Alcántara
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