The Terras Sem Sombra festival, organized by the Pedra Angular association, based in Santiago do Cacém (Setúbal), will allow the public "the possibility of listening to repertoires that are still little known and artists who are making a difference on the international stage", the event's president, José António Falcão, told Lusa today.

According to the official, "the programme designed for this year is very promising, in this broadening of horizons, from early music to the core of 21st century creation".

"It breaks with the routines of our daily lives, challenges us to better understand today's society and brings a breath of fresh air", he added.

The 20th edition of the festival kicks off this weekend in Mértola (Beja), where a concert by the Filipino sopranos The Nightingales is scheduled, accompanied on the piano by the Portuguese maestro Nuno Margarido Lopes, in the main church, starting at 9:30 pm on Saturday.

The festival's programme, with free admission, will also pass through the municipalities of Beja, Ferreira do Alentejo, Odemira and Vidigueira (all in the district of Beja), Castelo de Vide (Portalegre), Montemor-o-Novo (Évora), Sines (Setúbal) and Coruche (Santarém).

"Two 'surprise concerts' are also planned in other municipalities, to be announced in due course", announced José António Falcão.

The concerts will feature "the participation of some of the most outstanding 'ensembles' of today", continued the festival's president, highlighting I Bassifondi, under the direction of Simone Vallerotonda, the Arianna Art Ensemble, the Akhtamar Quartet, the EntreQuatre, the Quartetto Veneziano, the Aratos Trio and Le Fil Rouge.

"One presence to be highlighted, in the field of symphonic music, is that of the Orquestra de Siero, from Asturias [Spain], under the direction of Manuel Paz", added Falcão.

The programmer also pointed out the recitals by Czech bass-baritone Lukás Barák, accompanied by pianist Vendula Galdov, and Austrian harpist Elisabeth Plank as "other highlights of the season".

In 2024, the Terras Sem Sombra festival will have as its theme "'Freedom, whoever has it calls it his': Autonomy, Emancipation and Independence in Music (12th/21st Centuries)", to motivate a reflection on "access to culture and, in particular, to music" 50 years after the 25th of April.

"Being able to write, interpret or simply listen to certain musical works represents something that was not at all obvious to those who lived before democracy", but "half a century later it still has not become so for many of our citizens, due to the lack of objective opportunities for access to cultural enjoyment", he justified.

The event also marks its 20th anniversary this year, being, in the opinion of José António Falcão, "a transversal case of public service".

"After 20 years in the festival's history, audiences have been won over, cultural habits have been created and obstacles have been broken down", he said, stating that today there is "a very different Alentejo in terms of the enjoyment of classical music".

Even so, in 2023, the festival lost funding from the Directorate-General for the Arts, within the scope of the lack of funding for the biennial competitions of the sustained support programme, a situation that led Pedra Angular "to seek support in other latitudes".

"But the interruption of state support wasted a lot of time, did not help to maintain the national artistic infrastructure and had severe consequences for the Alentejo, where there were no major alternatives", criticised José António Falcão.

The official added that it was also "necessary to reduce the range of municipalities covered and postpone the consolidation of a professional team".

"But what implied the most sacrifices was the delay in initiatives aimed at attracting new audiences", having been "necessary to reduce the work with the youngest, families and migrant communities", he concluded.

Read Also: Open biennial competitions for DGArtes Sustained Support (Portuguese version)