The third edition of the FOO festival will embrace the themes of Almada Negreiros and the Belle Époque, artistically bridging the early 20th century with the present day, as announced by artistic director Carla Caramujo during the festival’s presentation. This edition will also emphasize fundamental values of freedom, equality, and tolerance.
The 2025 edition, unveiled on Wednesday in Lisbon, features a diverse musical language influenced by composers such as Bizet, Ravel, Vasco Mendonça, Manuel de Falla, Christoph Renhart, and Wolf-Ferrari. It will celebrate the Portuguese language and pay homage to Camões, according to the soprano.
The festival commences on September 6th with the inaugural concert at the Óbidos Technology Park, honoring the 150th anniversary of Georges Bizet’s death and the 500th anniversary of the death of Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama with a symphonic ode.
On the weekend of September 13th and 14th, the operatic stage will be set at the Convent of São Miguel in Gaeiras, featuring a family and youth-oriented program in a double format: a single session ticket granting access to two separate performances with an intermission.
The lineup includes the operas ‘O Lobo, a Menina e o Caçador’ by Vasco Mendonça and Gonçalo M. Tavares, and ‘L’enfant et les Sortilèges’ by Maurice Ravel, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
On the 18th, the festival relocates to the Praça da Criatividade in Óbidos to present ‘Café Europa,’ a contemporary opera part of the Sounds of Change project, based on the libretto ‘Between Memories’ by Alexandre Honrado, with music by Austrian composer Christoph Renhart.
This opera will premiere in Serbia and will also be shown in Slovenia.
An interim recital will spotlight emerging talents in the lyrical scene on September 11th, while the festival’s closing weekend (September 20th and 21st) will revert to the ‘double bill’ format at the Convent of São Miguel.
The first performance will feature the opera ‘Il Segreto di Susanna’ by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, with a libretto by Enrico Golisciani.
Premiered in 1909, this comedy revolves around a misunderstanding between Count Gil and his young wife, Susanna.
“The count, bothered by the smell of tobacco in the house, suspects his wife has a lover,” but “Susanna’s secret is actually her habit of smoking in secret,” fueling a “comedic plot of suspicion and reconciliation,” according to the synopsis.
Later in the evening, the opera ‘El Amor Brujo’ by Manuel de Falla will be performed, depicting the story of “Candela, a young gypsy haunted by the jealous spirit of her deceased lover,” noted for its flamenco melodies and rhythms, as per the synopsis.
The FOO is organized by ABA – Banda de Alcobaça Associação de Artes in cooperation with the Municipality of Óbidos, supported by the Direção Geral das Artes, BPI/Fundação ‘la Caixa’, Círculo Richard Wagner Portugal, and patron Égide.
