Under the leadership of violinist and conductor Christoph Poppen and soprano Juliane Banse, the festival in Marvão, located in the district of Portalegre, opens with pieces by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, concludes with Felix Mendelssohn, and spans the history of music from the polyphony of the Évora School to modern works by Maurice Ravel and contemporary pieces by Luís Tinoco, according to the program available on its website.
Also featured are jazz performances by Mário Laginha and Maria João, a fado interpretation by clarinetist António Saiote and singer Ana Margarida Prado. Vasco Araújo’s installation ‘La chute vers…’ will be displayed at the castle.
Cellist Manuel Fisher-Dieskau, pianist Aaron Pilsan, the Malion and Arod string quartets, the Maat saxophone quartet, the Officium Ensemble, Juliane Banse, and Christoph Poppen are among more than twenty ensembles and soloists, many of which combine in various formations throughout the festival’s recitals.
The first day features the program “Clarinete em Fado” by António Saiote, accompanied by Artur Caldeira on classical guitar and Daniel Paredes on acoustic bass, following the opening recital with Schubert’s “Die Forelle,” Schumann’s Quintet, and Brahms’ lieder.
“Música Inédita da Sé de Évora,” performed by the Officium Ensemble under the direction of Pedro Teixeira, opens the concerts on the second day, which also includes three chamber music recitals: the two first by the Malion Quartet featuring Ravel’s String Quartet and Tchaikovsky’s 3rd Quartet, among other works; the third is dedicated to songs, solo piano pieces, and works for violin and piano by Lili and Nadia Boulanger.
On July 20, two generations of tenors, Christoph Prégardien and Julian Prégardien, meet in the program “Father and Son,” performing works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms, as well as Schubert’s Mass in G Major D.167 as soloists, accompanied by the Officium Ensemble, the Marvão Festival Ensemble, and the Malion Quartet, under the baton of Christoph Poppen.
Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II,” performed by Aaron Pilsan, dominates the program on July 21, which also includes a recital dedicated to Anton Webern by the Malion Quartet. This program paves the way to the following day, dominated by the music of Arnold Schoenberg, including “Transfigured Night,” performed by the Arod Quartet with Adrien La Marca on viola and Aurélien Pascal on cello.
Works by Joseph Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Ernest Chausson, César Franck, Sergei Prokofiev, and Richard Strauss will be featured in recitals on the following days, along with “Quartet for the End of Time” by Olivier Messiaen, the concert “Laço” by Ana Margarida Prado based on fados by João Monge, and the meeting of singer Maria João and pianist Mário Laginha.
The penultimate day’s program, on July 26, opens with the concert ‘Breath of the Earth,’ by the Coro do Festival de Marvão, a participatory project conducted by Pedro Teixeira, followed by the Maat Saxophone Quartet performing works by Luís Tinoco.
The day concludes with the ‘Memorial Concert’ dedicated to Wolfgang Rihm, who passed away on July 27, 2024. The program features the German composer’s works alongside pieces by Haydn and Schubert. Paulo Jorge Ferreira will perform as an accordion soloist.
The Closing Gala, featuring festival musicians, includes works by Robert Kahn, André Previn, Astor Piazzolla, Ernesto Lecuona, Francis Poulenc, Rossini, Massenet, Louis Spohr, Fauré, Rachmaninov, Pauline Viardot, and Mendelssohn.
The concerts will be held in the gardens, courtyard, cistern, and keep of Marvão Castle, in the churches of Nossa Senhora da Estrela and São Tiago, at the Casa da Cultura, and the ruins of the Roman City of Ammaia. Guided tours and drawing classes are part of the parallel activities.
