Around 1871, historian and politician Silveira de Macedo described the Church of Santa Maria Madalena as “the island’s greatest and most magnificent temple.” It is here that, on three afternoons during the tenth edition of the Cordas Festival, acoustic instruments, played by virtuoso musicians, will treat the island’s population to classical music and original compositions inspired by various historical periods.

On Thursday, October 2, Pedro Dias and Luís Abrantes, from the Regional Conservatory of Ponta Delgada, will premiere “O Velho e o Novo” (The Old and the New). This proposal aims to blend ancient music with modern music through the unconventional combination of the octachord, a modern 8-string classical guitar, and the theorbo, an ancient instrument from the lute family. Works by Baroque composers such as Rameau and Scarlatti, as well as more contemporary composers like Berio and Satie, in new arrangements. We highlight two compositions by the performers themselves, premiering for this instrumentation: Ciaconna by Luís Abrantes, a work in the Italian Baroque style, and Descalço no Firmamento by Pedro Dias, a work inspired by minimalism.

João Diogo Leitão presents his new work “por onde fica a primavera” (where is spring) on the 6th. The guitarist and creator has been challenging aesthetic barriers through an innovative approach to one of the traditional Portuguese string instruments – the viola braguesa – using it as a “tool to expose his own universe which, instead of playing with tradition, frees itself from all contexts and prejudices to create its own sound,” as Jornal de Letras puts it.

On the 8th, we have the return of the Azorean who walks the world stage with his classical guitar. With 24 awards in international competitions in his field, guitarist Ruben Bettencourt is considered one of the best of his generation. Ruben returns to the Cordas Festival to treat us to some great classics.

The concerts at the Madalena Mother Church take place at 2 p.m. and are open to the general public—no reservation is required, just show up. The Cordas Festival presents 50 events from October 1 to 11 in the municipality of Madalena. For more information, visit festivalcordas.com and follow the official Facebook page.

From MiratecArts