Portimão’s most emblematic churches are hosting the third edition of the Festival Rosa do Mundo – Ancient Music between March 12 and 31. The festival is a collaboration between the Academy of Music of Portimão and MAAC – Ancient Music Cultural Association.
The project aims to disseminate ancient music, revealing its aesthetic characteristics, instruments and socio-cultural contexts, strengthening relations with Portimão’s historical and architectural heritage while developing pedagogical activities aimed at music students and enthusiasts in the area.
The first concert is scheduled for 18:00 on March 12 at the Igreja Matriz de Alvor, which will host the Metamorfoses Project (recorder flute, cello and harpsichord). The concert will musically represent the changes in artistic expression that occurred at the beginning of the Baroque period, with themes by Bassano, Ortiz, Frescolbaldi and Correa d’Arauxo, among others.
On March 18, at 18:00, the Igreja Matriz de Mexilhoeira Grande will host Vestigium Ensemble (platter flute, viola da gamba and harpsichord). The Belgian group will present their programme “The Sound of Illustration” on a journey through Frederico the Great’s Germany, with music by Bach, Quantz, Abel, Telemann, and other composers.
On the night of March 24, at 21:00, renowned soprano María Christina Kiehr will perform at the Igreja do Colégio in Portimão accompanied by Spanish vihuelist Ariel Abramovich. They will perform a duo concert dedicated to the “Tres libros de música en cifra para vihuela” collection, published in Seville in 1546 by composer and vihuelist Alonso Mudarra.
Finally, from 21:00 on March 31, also at the Igreja do Colégio, the Portimão Academy of Music’s Flute Consort, directed by Filipa Oliveira, will invite the Loulé Flute Ensemble, directed by Ana Figueiras, for a concert promoting renaissance and baroque repertoires for recorder consorts.
This last Festival Rosa do Mundo concert will feature the collaboration of students and teachers from Portimão’s Academy of Music and the Loulé Music Conservatory – Francisco Rosado.
Admission to all concerts is free. However, a minimum donation of €2 per event is suggested.
In addition to the concerts, this year’s edition of the event will also feature two masterclasses for baroque cello and harpsichord. These are scheduled for March 11, between 10:00 and 17:00, at the Academia de Música de Portimão, led by Pedro Massarrão (2017 Young Musicians Prize laureate) and Ana Moreno Aranda (Cristóbal Morales de Sevilha Professional School). Registration costs €10 for students of the academy and €15 for external students.
For registration and further information, contact the event’s promoters via e-mail at [email protected], telephone at +351 914 406 015 / 967 776 668, or visit the websites: https://amportimao.pt and www.maac.pt
