“For this edition, we sought a more expansive theme that was cross-disciplinary. I discussed with José Luís Peixoto the possibility of developing a project intertwining music and literature,” said CriaSons’ artistic director, violinist Luís Pacheco Cunha, to Lusa.
Unlike previous editions, the intention was not the sung word; rather, music was meant to express the words and narratives of each author’s books, he explained.
The proposal, according to Luís Pacheco Cunha, involves “the creation of compositions inspired by the major works of a group of writers,” which includes José Luís Peixoto, Valter Hugo Mãe, Gonçalo M. Tavares, Joana Bértholo, and Dulce Maria Cardoso. The participating composers are Amílcar Vasques Dias, André Carvalho, César Viana, Alfredo Teixeira, and Estêvão Chissano.
The festival will take place in various locations in Lisbon, such as the José Dias Coelho Library (BJDC), Marvila Library (BM), and Casa Jardim da Estrela (CJE), and features four panels: “Concerts with Books,” “Encounters in Dialogue,” “Extravagant Library,” and “Hip-Hop Encounters,” along with workshops for young people and children.
Within the “Concerts with Books” panel, on January 10 at CJE, the theme is Valter Hugo Mãe’s “A Máquina de Fazer Espanhóis,” with composer Alfredo Teixeira leading an ensemble featuring Luís Pacheco Cunha, Cátia Santos (viola), Catherine Stryncke (cello), and soloist Yuri Marchese (electric guitar).
The second concert, on February 21 at CJE, focuses on “Jerusalém” by Gonçalo M. Tavares, with André Carvalho composing for a jazz trio.
On January 31, at BM, there will be a performance centered on Joana Bértholo’s “Ecologia,” described as “a book about echoes and language, where language propels the book’s drama,” featuring César Viana’s original music titled “Mus-cologia.”
Viana will conduct the Ensemble Musicamerata with pianist Natasa Sibalic.
The theme for the third concert on February 7 in Marvila is “Galveias” by Amílcar Vasques-Dias, who, residing in Alentejo, “crafted works around Alentejo choral music.”
This concert will feature “more popular-rooted music” performed by Vasques-Dias on piano, directing a group including Pedro Santos, Paulo Gaspar, Pedro Tavares, and Pacheco Cunha.
Mozambican composer Estêvão Chissano created “E-Terno,” a concert based on Dulce Maria Cardoso’s novel “Retorno,” to be held on March 14 at BM. Chissano will lead the Lopes-Graça Quartet with percussionist Aldovino Munguambe.
Luís Pacheco Cunha highlighted the “creative stimulus” brought by the writers, acknowledging they are “deeply immersed in their universe, sometimes almost incommunicable.”
He mentioned Gonçalo M. Tavares, “who is writing a new novel and has almost completely disconnected to focus solely on his writing,” but acknowledged others, like Joana Bértholo, are more available.
The principal challenge lies with composers who need to work from a source of inspiration. “In this festival, we decided not to work with words as is usually done, i.e., making songs. Music here, in its language, expresses the messages and dramaturgy of each work, but solely through musical means. Words will only be present in concerts through projected video excerpts of the works,” he emphasized.
“We left it to the composers to express musically the ideas from each book,” he reiterated.
The “Encounters in Dialogue” panel offers a conversation between an author and a musician. “These are essentially colloquies where the musician responds to the moderator’s questions through playing,” explained Pacheco Cunha.
This panel opens on January 24 at the Camões Library with Valter Hugo Mãe and Brazilian musician Yuri Marchese (electric guitar).
The second stage of this panel, at the same venue, is on February 28 with Joana Bértholo and composer César Viana, who will play the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute used for samurai meditation and as a weapon, as explained by Pacheco Cunha.
The panel continues on February 14 at the Historic Library of the Camões School with José Luís Peixoto and composer-pianist Amílcar Dias-Vasques.
BJDC in Alcântara will host the remaining stages on March 7 with Gonçalo M. Tavares and clarinetist Paulo Gaspar, and March 21 with Dulce Maria Cardoso and Mozambican percussionist Aldovino Munguambe.
The “Hip-Hop Encounters” at BJFC and BM, on January 17 and March 28 respectively, include rapper Valete.
In Marvila, a workshop will be held where young rappers from the “Horizontal 360” project, led by Valete from the Benfica Parish Council, will engage with other youths. In the Alcântara library, Valete will perform with a jazz trio, the Lopes-Graça Quartet, and clarinetist Paulo Gaspar.
“The Extravagant Library” is a lively reading project featuring actor F. Pedro Oliveira and a musician adding musical highlights to stories, aimed at “stimulating children’s intellectual growth.”
This initiative will be held at BJDC on January 17 with Pacheco Cunha, and on February 14 with Paulo Gaspar, and at BM on January 31 with Pacheco Cunha, February 27 with Paulo Gaspar, and March 14 with accordionist Pedro Santos.
The workshops “Our Alvalade Choir,” conducted by maestro Pedro Branco, are designed for children aged five to eleven years and will be held from January to February, on Mondays at the Coruchéus Library.
On January 3 and February 7, at the Belém Library, there will be “Books for Kids – Join this radio program,” with Inês Ventura, targeting children aged 5 to 10 years.
On January 10, for those over 12 years, Casa do Jardim da Estrela will host “From Waste to Paper,” with Souad Ghaffari.
The CriaSons Festival has a budget of approximately 60,000 euros and attracted around 1,500 spectators in its previous edition in 2023, according to Luís Pacheco Cunha.
